that he is.
Jill Filipovic writes:
"Donald Trump could not care less about the health and well-being of the American people. He has no attachment to good governance, professional ethics, or public service. He doesn't like independent watchdogs because they're inconvenient for him; he prefers lapdogs.
And so he is exploiting the pandemic to sack anyone who might point out just how terribly he has mangled the response.
The result won't just be a swampier and more corrupt White House. We Americans may pay with our lives."
Public Citizen says:
"Well, look, I’ll be the oversight. I’ll be the oversight.”
That’s what Donald Trump said, just a little over two weeks ago, when Public Citizen and others were rightly sounding alarms about a secretive $500 billion corporate slush fund that Republicans were trying to sneak into the coronavirus relief bill.
But we have encyclopedias worth of evidence that this president — in particular and perhaps more than any who has come before— cannot be trusted to adhere to standards of ethics, legality and accountability.
Which is precisely why the $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package Congress ultimately passed included layers of protections to ensure that Trump would NOT “be the oversight.”
Nine days ago, a Pentagon official named Glenn Fine was chosen to lead the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, the independent watchdog monitoring implementation of the coronavirus relief package to make sure the funds are not misused, misappropriated or misallocated.
Yesterday, Trump removed Fine from that position.
Trump has fired, or threatened, officials in other watchdog (a.k.a. inspector general) roles in recent days, including the official who forwarded the Ukrainian whistleblower complaint to Congress — which led to Trump’s impeachment — and another who accurately reported the severe shortage of personal protective equipment for front-line medical personnel.
To be crystal clear, these officials are — or were — doing their jobs. And those jobs could not be more essential with someone like Trump in the White House.
By trying to sabotage the oversight mechanisms in the coronavirus relief package, Trump intends to corrupt the trillions in spending it unleashes — whether by steering money to his political friends, punishing his political enemies, or enriching his family and their associates.
Thanks to the diligence of groups like Public Citizen — that means you — the coronavirus relief package includes provisions for a new Congressional Oversight Commission.
Now we need to make sure that commission is strong enough to keep Trump in line.
Tell Congress to staff its new Congressional Oversight Commission with aggressive watchdogs.
Add your name.
Thanks, and stay safe.
- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen
P.S. This message is part of our ongoing outreach to help you stay informed and involved as our nation and the world grapple with the coronavirus emergency. Public Citizen — like many nonprofits and other small businesses — is feeling the financial strain as this crisis intensifies. If you can, please consider donating to support the critical work we’re doing together. Thank you. "
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ATROCITIES, ATROCITIES !
So, has the little weasel Jared Kushner stopped evicting his tenants?
The Intercept|Corona Virus Crisis
Democracy Now !
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UPDATE/edit: Have not heard anything from Prizker regarding Cook County Jail , which seems to be going the same way as Rikers in New York and probably many more that we are not aware of across the nation along with detention centers for the migrantes across the country. Horrible and shameful conditions. end edit
~ From CNN:
What California Is Doing Right In Responding To The Corona Virus Pandemic
by, Ray Sanchez, Dan Simone, Jean Silva
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Will return with stats, back to the kitchen !
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UPDATE/edit:
Mike has been a John Prine fan since his very early days back in Chicago (the early '60's) and was lucky to see him on several occasions when he played at small coffee shops and corner bars, working his way up the ladder on the North Side. Mike and his friends would sneak into darkened bars by the backdoor and pull it off, what a score. John Prine was everywhere in Chicago; the young people would see him on the streets and later at the University and say awestruck, "...there's John Prine, there's John Prine oh man, there's John Prine ! "... Rolling Stone has called him "The Mark Twain of Songwriters", which is a beyond accurate description, but I think he was so much more. He was such a stabilizing force and made sense out of everything under the sun, the moon and the stars and touched people's hearts and souls when they needed it the most. Everyone loved him. I hate this goddamed virus.
Enjoy:
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