https://www.propublica.org/article/coronavirus-hand-sanitizers-cdc-recommended-alcohol
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends rubbing on hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol when you aren’t able to wash your hands. Huge pumps and multipacks of bottles are flying off store shelves. But “alcohol-free” products — which are not recommended by the CDC — are also getting snatched up in the consumer frenzy. Some of the hand sanitizers made by the brands Purell and Germ-X rely on benzalkonium chloride instead of alcohol as the active ingredient. Such non-alcohol antiseptic products may not work as well for many types of germs, the CDC says, or may merely reduce the growth of germs rather than killing them. They may be better than nothing, experts say. But people are buying them without knowing the difference."
Monday, March 9, 2020
Trump’s Most Dangerous Destruction Yet
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/02/trumps-most-dangerous-destruction-yet/607021/
"A politicized intelligence apparatus can be used both to deny truths the president doesn’t like and to justify falsehoods the president wants to propagate—not to mention create an environment of distrust so that people don’t know what to believe. This is really dangerous stuff. Removing intelligence officers for having the temerity to give their unvarnished assessments is a recipe for groupthink and analytic distortions based on what people think the boss wants to hear. Remember, these are the people the president needs to rely on when he decides whether to take military action. Do we really want them worrying about whether he will like their honest assessment, about whether telling the truth to Congress will give the opposition party information to use against the boss during an election season, or about whether they can blow the whistle on political lies about intelligence without retribution?"
"A politicized intelligence apparatus can be used both to deny truths the president doesn’t like and to justify falsehoods the president wants to propagate—not to mention create an environment of distrust so that people don’t know what to believe. This is really dangerous stuff. Removing intelligence officers for having the temerity to give their unvarnished assessments is a recipe for groupthink and analytic distortions based on what people think the boss wants to hear. Remember, these are the people the president needs to rely on when he decides whether to take military action. Do we really want them worrying about whether he will like their honest assessment, about whether telling the truth to Congress will give the opposition party information to use against the boss during an election season, or about whether they can blow the whistle on political lies about intelligence without retribution?"
By any means necessary: Trump's prepared to cheat again in 2020 — and lie about it shamelessly
https://www.salon.com/2020/02/24/by-any-means-necessary-trumps-prepared-to-cheat-again-in-2020--and-lie-about-it-shamelessly/
"Trump claims he will protect Medicare and Medicaid ("and the Democrats won't") when his budget actually cut them. He says he's built hundreds of miles of new wall along the Mexican border when he's actually only replaced existing barriers and added one new mile. He says he's passed numerous bills — and was the only one who could do it! — which were actually passed by his predecessors. And of course he says the nation is making vast sums of money from his trade war when, in reality, it's Americans who pay for the tariffs while Trump is handing out millions of dollars in bailouts to farmers who are hurt by them. The entire premise of his "promises made, promises kept" mantra is built on the most bald-faced flagrant lie. He has actually accomplished almost nothing during his term aside from tax cuts for the wealthy. But with the help of the right-wing propaganda media, he's managed to convince his followers that everything good in their lives is directly attributable to him. We know Trump will cheat again, in an even more insidious way, because he already did. While he was cleared of criminal conspiracy charges for his eagerness to accept help from the Russian government in 2016, only a month ago he was impeached for trying to extort another government into doing the same thing for him in 2020. His acquittal by his accomplices in the Senate doesn't change those facts."
"Trump claims he will protect Medicare and Medicaid ("and the Democrats won't") when his budget actually cut them. He says he's built hundreds of miles of new wall along the Mexican border when he's actually only replaced existing barriers and added one new mile. He says he's passed numerous bills — and was the only one who could do it! — which were actually passed by his predecessors. And of course he says the nation is making vast sums of money from his trade war when, in reality, it's Americans who pay for the tariffs while Trump is handing out millions of dollars in bailouts to farmers who are hurt by them. The entire premise of his "promises made, promises kept" mantra is built on the most bald-faced flagrant lie. He has actually accomplished almost nothing during his term aside from tax cuts for the wealthy. But with the help of the right-wing propaganda media, he's managed to convince his followers that everything good in their lives is directly attributable to him. We know Trump will cheat again, in an even more insidious way, because he already did. While he was cleared of criminal conspiracy charges for his eagerness to accept help from the Russian government in 2016, only a month ago he was impeached for trying to extort another government into doing the same thing for him in 2020. His acquittal by his accomplices in the Senate doesn't change those facts."
Donald Trump's disinformation campaign juggernaut: It's gaining speed
https://www.salon.com/2020/02/29/donald-trumps-disinformation-campaign-juggernaut-its-gaining-speed/
"You may be forgiven if you are under the impression that the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus outbreak is just one more example of his incompetence, aggressive ignorance, contempt for science and outright abuse of government. But it's worse than that. For the White House, and especially for Donald Trump's re-election campaign, it's an opportunity to put into play the massive disinformation apparatus they have built for the 2020 presidential race."
"You may be forgiven if you are under the impression that the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus outbreak is just one more example of his incompetence, aggressive ignorance, contempt for science and outright abuse of government. But it's worse than that. For the White House, and especially for Donald Trump's re-election campaign, it's an opportunity to put into play the massive disinformation apparatus they have built for the 2020 presidential race."
The Trump Administration’s Contemptuous, Pro-Corporate Response to Coronavirus
https://prospect.org/health/the-trump-administrations-contemptuous-pro-corporate-response-to-coronavirus/
"The roots of this crisis go back years and reflect deep-seated enmity to government experts. Each subsequent presidential budget has included ever more draconian, inhumane, and downright offensive cuts to the most basic government services, including those that would leave us prepared to take on a global pandemic. In 2017, Trump tried to slash the Centers for Disease Control’s budget to levels which a former director called “unsafe at any level of enactment.” In 2018, onlookers warned that Trump was “setting up the US to botch a pandemic response.” And in 2019, he went ahead and fired the government’s entire pandemic response chain of command. Even as the coronavirus spread, the administration was suggesting deeper cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health. And from the outside, commentators at the Heritage Foundation were cheerleading the president’s suggested budget cuts, while encouraging the administration to go further. While the budget proposals reveal administration priorities, so do the men and women Trump has empowered. Principal among them is a man whose primary qualification appears to be a lifelong devotion to enriching Big Pharma. When President Trump announced former pharmaceutical executive Alex Azar as his nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Azar’s colleagues in the pharmaceutical and health insurance industries felt relief that they had a friend in the Trump administration. Trump called Azar “a star for better healthcare and lower drug prices,” but the pharma and health insurance execs knew better: Azar’s expertise lies in jacking up medicine prices, not public health or research."
"The roots of this crisis go back years and reflect deep-seated enmity to government experts. Each subsequent presidential budget has included ever more draconian, inhumane, and downright offensive cuts to the most basic government services, including those that would leave us prepared to take on a global pandemic. In 2017, Trump tried to slash the Centers for Disease Control’s budget to levels which a former director called “unsafe at any level of enactment.” In 2018, onlookers warned that Trump was “setting up the US to botch a pandemic response.” And in 2019, he went ahead and fired the government’s entire pandemic response chain of command. Even as the coronavirus spread, the administration was suggesting deeper cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health. And from the outside, commentators at the Heritage Foundation were cheerleading the president’s suggested budget cuts, while encouraging the administration to go further. While the budget proposals reveal administration priorities, so do the men and women Trump has empowered. Principal among them is a man whose primary qualification appears to be a lifelong devotion to enriching Big Pharma. When President Trump announced former pharmaceutical executive Alex Azar as his nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Azar’s colleagues in the pharmaceutical and health insurance industries felt relief that they had a friend in the Trump administration. Trump called Azar “a star for better healthcare and lower drug prices,” but the pharma and health insurance execs knew better: Azar’s expertise lies in jacking up medicine prices, not public health or research."
As a Businessman, Trump Was the Biggest Loser of All
https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/as-a-businessman-trump-was-the-biggest-loser-of-all
"Even now, there are a lot of Americans who believe that the President is a savvy and successful businessman who knows what he is doing. The actual record, which, thanks to the Times, we now know a good deal more about, suggests the exact opposite. It reveals Trump to be a reckless conman who burned money and relied on his father, even as he was fashioning a myth that eventually took him all the way to the White House. No wonder he is so averse to allowing the American public to see any more accurate information about his financial history."
"Even now, there are a lot of Americans who believe that the President is a savvy and successful businessman who knows what he is doing. The actual record, which, thanks to the Times, we now know a good deal more about, suggests the exact opposite. It reveals Trump to be a reckless conman who burned money and relied on his father, even as he was fashioning a myth that eventually took him all the way to the White House. No wonder he is so averse to allowing the American public to see any more accurate information about his financial history."
D.C. Appeals Court Rules Don McGahn Can Defy a Subpoena From Congress
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/02/dc-circuit-don-mcgahn-defy-subpoena.html
"By refusing the invitation to check an imperial executive, the panel just established the ongoing reality of an imperial executive. The decision can still be appealed to the full court or the Supreme Court. But barring a reversal, Congress may need to get creative. As an alternative, Judge Griffith suggested Congress order the Sergeant-at-Arms to arrest and detain their desired witnesses."
"By refusing the invitation to check an imperial executive, the panel just established the ongoing reality of an imperial executive. The decision can still be appealed to the full court or the Supreme Court. But barring a reversal, Congress may need to get creative. As an alternative, Judge Griffith suggested Congress order the Sergeant-at-Arms to arrest and detain their desired witnesses."
Trump's assault on truth and science got us here — and things could get a lot worse
https://www.salon.com/2020/02/28/trumps-assault-on-truth-and-science-got-us-here--and-things-could-get-a-lot-worse/
"Trump's corruption of the federal government has created a hollowed-out state. We'll all pay for that now" Trump's corruption of the federal government has created a hollowed-out state. We'll all pay for that now"
"Trump's corruption of the federal government has created a hollowed-out state. We'll all pay for that now" Trump's corruption of the federal government has created a hollowed-out state. We'll all pay for that now"
Trump complains that Fox News has the “worst polls” after network finds him losing to every Democrat
https://www.salon.com/2020/02/28/trump-complains-that-fox-news-has-the-worst-polls-after-network-finds-him-losing-to-every-democrat/
"Trump's complaints about polling are not limited to mainstream surveys, Robert Maguire of the watchdog group Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washinton (CREW), noted. "Trump's very big brain tells him he's winning, so when polls call that into question his first reaction is that it must be the pollsters' fault," he wrote. "For instance, last year, when internal polls showed Trump underwater in key states, his campaign addressed it by firing the pollsters"."
"Trump's complaints about polling are not limited to mainstream surveys, Robert Maguire of the watchdog group Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washinton (CREW), noted. "Trump's very big brain tells him he's winning, so when polls call that into question his first reaction is that it must be the pollsters' fault," he wrote. "For instance, last year, when internal polls showed Trump underwater in key states, his campaign addressed it by firing the pollsters"."
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: Jesus Would Be Maligned As ‘Radical’ By Today’s Congress
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-faith_n_5e580e16c5b6450a30bbd0f7
"The lawmaker suggested that Jesus himself would be “maligned as a radical” by today’s Congress for his message of love and inclusion. She said it strikes her that “if Christ himself walked through these doors and said what he said thousands of years ago ― that we should love our neighbor and our enemy, that we should welcome the stranger, fight for the least of us, that it is easier ... for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into a kingdom of heaven ― he would be maligned as a radical and rejected from these doors.” Ocasio-Cortez was speaking at a Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on the ways the Trump administration has tried to undermine LGBTQ rights."
"The lawmaker suggested that Jesus himself would be “maligned as a radical” by today’s Congress for his message of love and inclusion. She said it strikes her that “if Christ himself walked through these doors and said what he said thousands of years ago ― that we should love our neighbor and our enemy, that we should welcome the stranger, fight for the least of us, that it is easier ... for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into a kingdom of heaven ― he would be maligned as a radical and rejected from these doors.” Ocasio-Cortez was speaking at a Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on the ways the Trump administration has tried to undermine LGBTQ rights."
20 ways Americans benefit from socialism every day
https://www.frontpagelive.com/2020/02/27/20-ways-americans-benefit-from-socialism-every-day/
"In case you didn’t know, Donald Trump and his cronies continuously exploit socialism with their tax breaks and subsidies to build luxury buildings. And America’s wealthiest family, the greedy Waltons, rely on socialism to subsidize their low-paid Walmart workers with Medicaid and food stamps. That’s right. There’s always been plenty of socialism to go around in the U.S. of A."
"In case you didn’t know, Donald Trump and his cronies continuously exploit socialism with their tax breaks and subsidies to build luxury buildings. And America’s wealthiest family, the greedy Waltons, rely on socialism to subsidize their low-paid Walmart workers with Medicaid and food stamps. That’s right. There’s always been plenty of socialism to go around in the U.S. of A."
Saturday, November 16, 2019
Russia Loves the Impeachment Hearings Because GOP Is Parroting Kremlin Propaganda
https://www.thedailybeast.com/watching-impeachment-russian-media-delighted-trump-doesnt-give-a-s-t-about-ukraine
"As Russia’s state media watch impeachment proceedings against U.S. President Donald J. Trump they’re loving what they see. They don’t think the man they brag about getting elected is in much danger. They listen in delight as Republicans parrot conspiracy theories first launched by Russians. And they gloat about the way Trump removed U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, because they blame her for promoting democratic “color revolutions” that weakened Moscow’s hold on the former Soviet empire. Best of all, from the Kremlin’s point of view, they see Trump pushing Ukraine back into the Russian fold. So while the historical impeachment inquiry, after two days of public hearings, has been deemed by some pundits to lack “pizzazz,” the Kremlin is having a ball. Instead of disseminating their usual conspiracy theories, the Russians watch gleefully as the Republicans do that for them. From the long-debunked “Crowdstrike” cyber plot positioning Ukraine as the fall guy for what undoubtedly was Russian interference in the 2016 elections, to anti-Semitic conspiracy theories centering around Jewish financier and philanthropist George Soros, rivers of Russian dezinformatsiya are flowing down from the President of the United States and the GOP, through the impeachment hearings, to Trump’s cult-like devotees. The Kremlin also enjoys the Trump-GOP treatment of the Mueller report as a colossal hoax, or even a joke, letting Russian President Vladimir Putin off the hook, and putting him in a position to make light of the whole matter. During a public appearance for Russian Energy Week, Putin “jokingly” promised to interfere in the upcoming presidential elections in the United States. Speaking at the Paris Peace Forum, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pledged to “solve the problem” of the American elections in 2020."
"As Russia’s state media watch impeachment proceedings against U.S. President Donald J. Trump they’re loving what they see. They don’t think the man they brag about getting elected is in much danger. They listen in delight as Republicans parrot conspiracy theories first launched by Russians. And they gloat about the way Trump removed U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, because they blame her for promoting democratic “color revolutions” that weakened Moscow’s hold on the former Soviet empire. Best of all, from the Kremlin’s point of view, they see Trump pushing Ukraine back into the Russian fold. So while the historical impeachment inquiry, after two days of public hearings, has been deemed by some pundits to lack “pizzazz,” the Kremlin is having a ball. Instead of disseminating their usual conspiracy theories, the Russians watch gleefully as the Republicans do that for them. From the long-debunked “Crowdstrike” cyber plot positioning Ukraine as the fall guy for what undoubtedly was Russian interference in the 2016 elections, to anti-Semitic conspiracy theories centering around Jewish financier and philanthropist George Soros, rivers of Russian dezinformatsiya are flowing down from the President of the United States and the GOP, through the impeachment hearings, to Trump’s cult-like devotees. The Kremlin also enjoys the Trump-GOP treatment of the Mueller report as a colossal hoax, or even a joke, letting Russian President Vladimir Putin off the hook, and putting him in a position to make light of the whole matter. During a public appearance for Russian Energy Week, Putin “jokingly” promised to interfere in the upcoming presidential elections in the United States. Speaking at the Paris Peace Forum, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pledged to “solve the problem” of the American elections in 2020."
Roger Stone’s conviction, and Trump’s ugly response, further demonstrate the president’s corruption
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/11/15/roger-stones-conviction-trumps-ugly-response-further-demonstrate-trumps-corruption/
"President Trump has a remarkable talent for attracting criminals to his orbit, and a number of his associates, such as former lawyer Michael Cohen and former campaign chair Paul Manafort, spent years skipping a step ahead of the law. But once Trump became president, prosecutors took a greater interest in them, and they’re now behind bars. To their number we can now add Roger Stone, who has been convicted of lying to Congress, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice in a trial relating to the 2016 Trump campaign’s connections to Wikileaks, the vehicle used by Russia to disseminate the information it hacked from Democratic Party systems to help elect Trump president. Although Stone departed from his official campaign role early on, he remained in constant touch with the future president. Prosecutors documented 60 phone calls between Stone and Trump between February and November 2016."
"President Trump has a remarkable talent for attracting criminals to his orbit, and a number of his associates, such as former lawyer Michael Cohen and former campaign chair Paul Manafort, spent years skipping a step ahead of the law. But once Trump became president, prosecutors took a greater interest in them, and they’re now behind bars. To their number we can now add Roger Stone, who has been convicted of lying to Congress, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice in a trial relating to the 2016 Trump campaign’s connections to Wikileaks, the vehicle used by Russia to disseminate the information it hacked from Democratic Party systems to help elect Trump president. Although Stone departed from his official campaign role early on, he remained in constant touch with the future president. Prosecutors documented 60 phone calls between Stone and Trump between February and November 2016."
All the president’s (convicted) men
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/all-the-presidents-convicted-men
"Following Roger Stone’s conviction earlier today, NPR took note of the many criminals in Donald Trump’s immediate orbit. Stone was the second close political adviser of Trump’s brought to trial on charges by Mueller’s team. The other was Stone’s former business partner, Paul Manafort, who was convicted in 2018 in a tax and bank fraud trial in Virginia. Manafort later pleaded guilty to other charges in a related case brought by Mueller in Washington, D.C. He is now in prison. Six others – including Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, and Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, pleaded guilty to charges that arose from the special counsel’s probe. Taken together, it’s striking to see what the Washington Post described as “the remarkable universe of criminality” surrounding the sitting president of the United States. The number of criminals is important, but so too is the degree to which this dynamic conflicts with the message Trump has been eager to trumpet. As regular readers know, the president presents himself as being aggressively “tough on crime,” which he frequently tries to incorporate into his agenda. Earlier this year, while making the case for a border wall, the Republican declared, “The Democrats, which I’ve been saying all along, they don’t give a damn about crime. They don’t care about crime…. But I care about crime.” Of course, given recent events, it’s hardly unreasonable to wonder whether he cares about crime or about surrounding himself with people who’ve committed crimes? Let’s take stock of the number of presidential aides and associates who’ve faced felony charges"
"Following Roger Stone’s conviction earlier today, NPR took note of the many criminals in Donald Trump’s immediate orbit. Stone was the second close political adviser of Trump’s brought to trial on charges by Mueller’s team. The other was Stone’s former business partner, Paul Manafort, who was convicted in 2018 in a tax and bank fraud trial in Virginia. Manafort later pleaded guilty to other charges in a related case brought by Mueller in Washington, D.C. He is now in prison. Six others – including Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, and Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, pleaded guilty to charges that arose from the special counsel’s probe. Taken together, it’s striking to see what the Washington Post described as “the remarkable universe of criminality” surrounding the sitting president of the United States. The number of criminals is important, but so too is the degree to which this dynamic conflicts with the message Trump has been eager to trumpet. As regular readers know, the president presents himself as being aggressively “tough on crime,” which he frequently tries to incorporate into his agenda. Earlier this year, while making the case for a border wall, the Republican declared, “The Democrats, which I’ve been saying all along, they don’t give a damn about crime. They don’t care about crime…. But I care about crime.” Of course, given recent events, it’s hardly unreasonable to wonder whether he cares about crime or about surrounding himself with people who’ve committed crimes? Let’s take stock of the number of presidential aides and associates who’ve faced felony charges"
Friday, November 15, 2019
Impeachment and the Stone Verdict Show Trump Is Surrounded by Criminals
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/11/impeachment-roger-stone-guilty-yovanovitch-giuliani-trump-ukraine.html
"The legal ring surrounding him is collectively producing a historic indictment of his endemic corruption and criminality."
"The legal ring surrounding him is collectively producing a historic indictment of his endemic corruption and criminality."
Roger Stone Found Guilty on All Counts
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/11/roger-stone-was-just-convicted-on-all-counts/
"A federal jury has convicted Roger Stone, a longtime adviser to President Donald Trump, of making false statements to Congress, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering."
"A federal jury has convicted Roger Stone, a longtime adviser to President Donald Trump, of making false statements to Congress, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering."
Asking Supreme Court to Shield His Tax Returns, Trump Claims He Is 'Absolutely Immune' From Criminal Investigation
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/11/15/asking-supreme-court-shield-his-tax-returns-trump-claims-he-absolutely-immune
"President Donald Trump late Thursday asked the right-wing Supreme Court to block the Manhattan district attorney's subpoena for his tax returns, arguing that he is "absolutely immune from all stages of state criminal process while in office"."
"President Donald Trump late Thursday asked the right-wing Supreme Court to block the Manhattan district attorney's subpoena for his tax returns, arguing that he is "absolutely immune from all stages of state criminal process while in office"."
'Witness Intimidation in Real-Time': Trump Tweets Attack on Yovanovitch During Public Impeachment Testimony
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/11/15/witness-intimidation-real-time-trump-tweets-attack-yovanovitch-during-public
"During a break in the hearing, Schiff told reporters that what the American people just saw on live television "was witness intimidation in real-time by the president of the United States"."
"During a break in the hearing, Schiff told reporters that what the American people just saw on live television "was witness intimidation in real-time by the president of the United States"."
Roger Stone Guilty On Charges Of Lying To Congress, Witness Intimidation
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/roger-stone-guilty-trump_n_5dcc42f8e4b03a7e0293cda8
"Roger Stone, a former Trump campaign official and longtime practitioner of the political dark arts, was found guilty on Friday of all seven counts he was charged with, which included lying to Congress."
"Roger Stone, a former Trump campaign official and longtime practitioner of the political dark arts, was found guilty on Friday of all seven counts he was charged with, which included lying to Congress."
Stephen Miller and Jim Jordan give us a taste of the Truly Trumpian Man
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/stephen-miller-and-jim-jordan-give-us-a-taste-of-the-truly-trumpian-man/2019/11/14/e187e8b8-0725-11ea-b17d-8b867891d39d_story.html
"Miller and Jordan are giving us a taste of the Truly Trumpian Man — guided by bigotry, seized by conspiracy theories, dismissive of facts and truth, indifferent to ethics, contemptuous of institutional norms and ruthlessly dedicated to the success of a demagogue. Every day of Trump’s term continues the moral deconstruction of the Republican Party and brings the further debasement of American politics."
"Miller and Jordan are giving us a taste of the Truly Trumpian Man — guided by bigotry, seized by conspiracy theories, dismissive of facts and truth, indifferent to ethics, contemptuous of institutional norms and ruthlessly dedicated to the success of a demagogue. Every day of Trump’s term continues the moral deconstruction of the Republican Party and brings the further debasement of American politics."
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