JOBS POLICIES, ANALYSIS, AND RESOURCES
Latest Jobs Posts
Trump’s Final Days in Office – the Beloved Wall
Brief #113—Immigration
By Kathryn Baron
Shortly after the events at the Capitol earlier this month, President Trump traveled to Texas to observe the border wall that defined his presidential campaign.
Re-engaging with Allies and International Organizations
Brief #1—Investigative Report
By Will Solomon
The United States has a troubled history with international law.
Democracy At Risk
Brief #1—Democracy At Risk
By Ron Israel
Democracy, derived from the Greek word demos, or people, is defined as government in which the supreme power is vested in a country’s citizens.
Biden Makes Exceptional Choice For Attorney General
Brief #147—Civil Rights
By Rod Maggay
Biden’s Health Policy Priorities
Brief #90—Health
By Erin Mcnemar
In March of 2010 after a long fought battle between Democrats and Republicans, President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law.
Trump’s EPA Seeks to Hide Science with New “Transparency” Rule
Brief #105—Environment
By Jacob Morton
On January 5, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a new rule requiring that any scientific evidence that is to be considered by the agency when crafting new environmental regulation, such as limiting the use of certain chemicals or determining levels of allowable pollution, must make all relevant data publicly available (including study participants’ personal medical records) to be considered credible.
With 2 Weeks To Go Trump Incites Followers to Storm the Capital
Brief #1—USResist Blog
By Sean Gray
Wednesday’s grotesque spectacle at the Capitol building was an appalling affront without precedent in American history.
AMERICANS ON AMERICA: WHAT MY COUNTRY MEANS TO ME
Brief #1—Investigative Report
By Linda F Hersey
Tiffany Kay is the first to admit she does not fit neatly into a single category or group. With ancestry that spans Europe, Africa and Central America, Kay more often than not checks the “Other” box on applications and forms asking about ethnicity.
TRUMP SUPPORTERS BECOME INSURRECTIONISTS: SOMETHING MUST BE DONE
U.S. Resist Editorial
By U.S. Resist News Writers
U.S. RESIST NEWS VOTER CHECKLIST: NOVEMBER 3, 2020 ELECTION
U.S. RESIST NEWS VOTER CHECKLIST: NOVEMBER 3, 2020 ELECTION
U.S. RESIST NEWS has published this checklist as a guide to help ensure that all
Click here to download your own Voter Checklist
Voters cast their 2020 election ballots in a safe and timely manner. It is the most important thing we can do right now to preserve our democracy.
–All Voters:
[icon name=”check” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Know your state’s voting requirements (If you don’t know visit https://www.usvotefoundation.org/vote/state-elections/state-election-dates-deadlines.htm#CA )
[icon name=”check” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Make sure you are registered to vote as soon as possible.
[icon name=”check” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Know the 2 ballot deadlines:
-
- The date it must be postmarked by.
- The date it must be received by. ( Because even if the ballot is postmarked in time if it is not received by the second deadline (a relevant issue because of the US Mail’s issues currently) it won’t be counted.)
–Mail-In and Absentee Ballot Voters:
[icon name=”check” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Submit your ballot as early as possible so that your vote gets counted in a timely way.
–In-Person Voters:
[icon name=”check” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Know the location of your polling station and its hours of operation.
[icon name=”check” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Make sure you have transportation to take you to and from the polls
[icon name=”check” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Protect yourself when you go to the polling station; wear a mask and social distance
[icon name=”check” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Be prepared, if need be, to stand-in-line and wait.
[icon name=”check” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Make sure your ballot is received by a poll worker
Click here to download your own Voter Checklist
US and Global Coronavirus Update
COVID-19’s Status in the US
As cases across the globe passes 27.6 million and over 6.5 million cases in the US, the death rate is not staying on pace, as many would expect. This phenomenon has yet to be fully understood by scientists and doctors. Some say this occurrence is because interventions are becoming more successful at treating complications; while others point to the clear trend that the COVID-19 is now becoming a “young person” disease. Where young adults are less likely to die or suffer from severe complications, more can be infected while keeping death rates relatively low. This comes after the disease ravaged nursing homes and the elderly population. Doctors are still adjusting to the seemingly changing affected demographic.
Schools across the nation are scrambling to manage how to keep students, faculty, and staff in the absence of a vaccine. Already, more than 37,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported at colleges and universities. K-12 schools vary from in-person, virtual, and hybrid classrooms, a scattered approach that represents the lack of uniformity and varying opinions on the safest and best approach for education amid a global pandemic. Combatting a widespread misconception, researchers have stated that adolescents are equally capable of transmitting the virus as adult and age should not be considered an impervious shield to the virus. It is unclear how the rest of the school year will go as in-person learning communities experience massive outbreaks and parents are starting to go back to work.
COVID-19’s Status Internationally
Researchers in Hong Kong have documented the first case of virus reinfection. A 33-year-old patient was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Aug 15th, over four months after their first bout with the disease on March 26th. With this being the first case, there is an understanding that there could be more, researchers are now on high alert for more cases.
African nations have not gone untouched by the virus, but few nations are experiencing the peaks in both cases and deaths, that other nations have gone through. Some have attributed this to the relative youth of the continent, comparing it to Europe where more EU citizens are more likely to reach 80 years of age, and therefore more susceptible to COVID complications and deaths. Additionally, COVID-19 is known to have a higher mortality rate amongst those with health problems like obesity and type 2 diabetes, which are less common in the African nations. More populous nations like South Africa, Egypt and Nigeria COVID rates have slowed but increases have been present in Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia.
After the first week in September, UK officials tallied the highest daily number of cases, 2,988, since May, and have had four days with over 2,000 new cases. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced new restrictions to curb the spread and prevent a second lockdown.
New cases send India sprinting to third in world ranking of cases. Even with the new increasing deaths, 72,775, researchers suggest that all cases are not being reported and the numbers could be much higher. All cases are not being reported to the World Health Organization, in addition to states attributing deaths to underlying conditions instead of COVID-19, and discrepancies are being found in deaths reported and counts from crematoria and burial grounds, thus prompting uncertainty in the accuracy of India’s reported numbers.
Mexico, fourth in line for most COVID deaths, reported nearly 3,500 new cases of COVID-19 on last Monday. President Nicolas Maduro has announced the mysterious and locally licensed Russia vaccine will be distributed to Venezuela in late September for clinical trials and “other vaccines” come October.
Analysis:
The emergence of a virus reinfection case prompts concern regarding immunity. While experts suggested previously infected individuals likely carried antibodies and therefore had some level of immunity against the coronavirus, new findings suggest that immunity may only last for a few months.
The previously mentioned phenomenon of an increase in cases, but not in deaths is contributing to the misconception that this disease and virus are not deadly. Such an idea is spreading throughout the US and as a result people are no longer taking the disease seriously, prompting anti-mask protests, young people gathering for parties, and other practices that are incompatible with CDC recommendations.
Engagement Resources:
For concerns about COVID-19, please seek assistance with the Center for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, or local health officials.
Subscribe HERE to stay up to date with COVID-19
Number of COVID-19 cases and deaths as of September 13, 2020 – Consult the CDC or Johns Hopkins for an update in numbers.
| Nation | Confirmed Cases | Deaths |
| Globally | 28,892,810 | 922,525 |
| United States | 6,519,249 | 194,069 |
| India | 4,754,356 | 78,586 |
| Brazil | 4,330,455 | 131,625 |
| Russia | 1,059,024 | 18,517 |
| Peru | 722,832 | 30,526 |
| Colombia | 708,964 | 22,734 |
| Mexico | 668,381 | 70,821 |
| South Africa | 649,793 | 15,447 |
| Spain | 566,326 | 29,747 |
| Argentina | 555,537 | 11,352 |
The Stock Market and Household Well-Being
Policy
The Stock market has surged, in August, almost to its historic February high, prior to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. This in spite of the absence of a new stimulus, the bi-partisan strife in the capital, and the spike in the Covid-19 cases this summer. In fact, the market has gained 32% since Trump took the office of the presidency. Good news? Yes, if you are among the top 1% but if you aren’t, the figure is largely irrelevant. The top ten percent of households account for 84% of all the equity from stocks while the top 1% enjoys one half of all equity. The next 10% account for 9.3% of the stock values and the bottom 80% weigh in at 6.7%. Although 52% – 54% of American households own stock, some by way of investments in 401Ks, they average $40,000 in total value. The value of the market has increased ten times since 1990 during which time the share by the top 1% of households experienced dramatic increases in their portion of the US wealth. The health of the stock market does not accrue equivalently across the sectors of the population. This measure of prosperity pertains to a micro sector of the society.
The market has sustained its performance in August, even after the failure of the government to pass a second set of stimulus programs. Unemployment is high, though the rebound is a bit better than anticipated, and the GDP was down in the second quarter. It is hypothesized that the resilience in the market is based on the assumption that there will be a stimulus passed by the end of September to avoid a government shutdown. The Federal Reserve’s pledge to keep the prime rate low until inflationary rates are attained, at least until 2022, and the faith in an eventual stimulus have kept the market hearty though its health is tenuous.
Evidence from the first stimulus package indicates that many Americans who could afford to do so saved their government payouts. Those who did not need to use their checks saved them and overall consumer spending declined indicating a preference for banking the acquired asset for future needs. Since February, personal savings rose from 8.3% to 33.5% of disposable income. Bank of America reported clients’ checking and savings accounts rose by 13% and 8% respectively. Average Americans had between one thousand and three thousand dollars more in the bank than prior to the pandemic. Credit card debt was down. Commercial bank deposits rose by 15% between February and August. Currently, the rate of savings is slowing and there is evidence that household spending has been falling as the stimulus wound down, especially among low income households. Credit card debt is creeping up again. The claim that the robust market is evidence of a good economy pales with respect to the persistent unemployment, failed businesses, and the health costs associated with the virus. After an upsurge of economic indicators in the late spring and early summer, the growth of the economy is slowing.
Analysis
The evidence of the economic gains of the Trump era speaks mostly to the enhancement of the wealth of the elite. The increase in savings and decreased spending, associated with the stimulus, show what Americans can do if they have some flexibility with disposable income. Because the stimulus was not very accurate in targeting the most vulnerable it demonstrates what people will do if they have discretionary income. For communities with concentrated poverty it can be seen that targeting them for business investment and employment programs is one way to improve the standard of living. Another stimulus would help vulnerable families and businesses and bolster the chances of avoiding the worst fallout from the continued virus threat.
Learn More
The Police Wall of Shame: The Los Angeles Police Department
“Police Wall of Shame” is a new Policing in America series by Laura Plummer that provides a chronology of all the shameful incidents within a single police department. Articles in this series will be updated to reflect new events as they occur.
September 11, 2020
Summary
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is the largest police department in California and the third largest in the country. Angelenos have been clamoring for meaningful police reform in recent months as the LAPD has made headlines for all the wrong reasons. From profiling Black citizens and allegations of misconduct to falsifying records and the fatal shooting of Dijon Kizzee, the LAPD has earned its place firmly in our Police Wall of Shame.
Date: April 22, 2020
Incident: An officer nicknamed Top Shot shot and killed 38-year-old Daniel Hernandez when he exited his vehicle following a crash. The clearly intoxicated Hernandez stumbled out of his car shirtless holding a box cutter. When he did not drop the weapon, the officer shot him six times.
Date: June 1, 2020
Incident: Four police officers allegedly surrounded a man’s vehicle and smashed his car window during a protest against police violence. Hundreds of complaints have been filed alleging police misconduct during demonstrations in the city. Supervisors also told officers to remove their body cameras during the unrest.
Date: June 2, 2020
Incident: During a protest against police brutality, officers pushed a 28-year-old man holding a sign and shot him in the groin at close range with a non-lethal projectile. The incident plainly violates the department’s use-of-force policy.
Date: July 10, 2020
Incident: Three officers were charged with labeling dozens of innocent people gang members and entering them into the state’s gang database in 2018. With the officers’ credibility challenged, all defendants with whom they have had contact since 2002 may have their convictions overturned. In addition, the LAPD announced it was investigating over 20 other officers for the same behavior.
Date: July 31, 2020
Incident: Officers defied state orders for social distancing and attended a party for first responders inside Hollywood’s Sassafras Saloon, despite the fact bars had been shut down since earlier that month.
Date: August 12, 2020
Incident: A woman sued the LAPD after one of its officers was caught on his own body camera fondling the corpse of her deceased daughter. The officer was responding to the woman’s death, which was determined to be the result of an accidental overdose.
Date: August 18, 2020
Incident: A report showed a rise in misconduct accusations against LAPD officers in 2019. Despite this, fewer officers were found guilty or received punishment than in previous years. Allegations included driving while intoxicated, biased policing, domestic abuse and neglect of duty.
Date: August 22, 2020
Incident: Officers allowed a heavily intoxicated driver to walk away from the scene of a crash he caused without charging him or forcing him to take a breathalyzer test. The drunk driver was white and driving a sports car.
Date: August 27, 2020
Incident: Officers fired rubber bullets and tear gas into a crowd that was protesting the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin.
Date: August 31, 2020
Incident: A 29-year-old Black man was shot and killed by police over a bicycle. Dijon Kizzee had allegedly violated a bicycle vehicle code and was shot 20 times by officers while fleeing on foot.
Date: September 4, 2020
Incident: Despite a season of controversy, scandal and legal woes, LAPD officers were on track to get a raise. Mayor Eric Garcetti allocated $1.75 billion to pay department salaries, over half the entire operational budget of the department.
Date: September 8, 2020
Incident: A study revealed that Black people were more than twice as likely to be stopped by the LAPD than white people in 2018 and 2019, even though white people were ten percent more likely to be in possession of illegal contraband.
Date: September 17, 2020
Incident: A 26-year-old Muslim woman filed a federal lawsuit stating that police forcibly removed her hijab during a 2019 search. A hijab is a religious headscarf worn by some female practitioners of Islam and is protected under the religious freedom guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
Date: September 21, 2020
Incident: A report revealed that the LAPD was keeping its K9 unit dogs caged for days, including when the temperature reached a scorching 115 degrees. Video footage shows the dogs being kenneled for up to three days with little human interaction or exercise.
Incident: A woman sued the LAPD for the wrongful death of her father in police custody in 2019. The 50-year-old man was held on the ground by officers for several minutes until he lost consciousness. He died five days later.
Date: September 22, 2020
Incident: A report indicated that the LAPD downplayed its use of facial recognition technology, and in fact used it 30,000 times since 2009, including 3,750 times since February. Facial recognition technology is a tool to identify individuals on videos based on their facial features, but is notoriously bad at recognizing African-Americans and other minorities.
Analysis
Residents and activists in LA are agitating for change. Black Lives Matter Los Angeles is energized. Its People’s Budget LA coalition is proposing significant cuts to the city’s police budget and demanding city leaders prioritize “care not cops”. A current Change.org petition is pushing for LAPD funding to go toward improving infrastructure, education and support services.
Resistance Resources
- People’s Budget LA, a coalition led by Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles
- Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, a local chapter of the global Black Lives Matter movement
- Change.org petition to defund the LAPD
This brief was compiled by Laura Plummer. To add an incident involving the LAPD to this article, please contact me@lauraplummer.me.
How Best to Protest
Across the U.S., in cities large and small, protesting increasingly is a popular way for ordinary Americans, especially young adults, to make their concerns and causes known. The First Amendment grants Americans free speech and the right to protest.
Motivating many young adults in the U.S. and Europe to organize rallies, demonstrations and marches has been administration and policies of President Donald Trump. The uptick in civil rights protests began in 2016, with Trump’s campaign for president. They have yet to stop – and address an increasing variety of issues and campaigns, most notably the “Black Lives Matter” demonstrations.
“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor,” Desmond Tutu, the South African human rights activist, famously said.
Understanding your rights and how to stay safe is essential. Here are five tips on how to make the most out of a protest — and protect yourself and your friends.
- Go prepared: Bring water to drink and to wash off your skin or eyes, in the event police are called and tear gas or pepper spray is used. Bring snacks. Check the weather forecast. The protest may go on for hours. Make signs with simple messages. Plan your exit if you need to leave the protest quickly, if activities become violent.
- Safety comes first: Wear protective goggles over your eyes. Wear comfortable shoes that are easy to move in. Attend with a group of friends and/or colleagues you trust. Know your surroundings. If you are pepper sprayed, stay calm. Change your clothes. Don’t touch your face and other areas exposed. A baking soda solution mixed with water is best for removing it. When things get dangerous, the best advice is to leave and to protect yourself.
- Understand your rights: If you are injured, for example, you have the right to obtain medical assistance without delay. You have the right to attend a peaceful assembly and the right to be told the reason if you are arrested. Be sure to carry ID.
- Interacting with police: The police are there for everyone’s protection and to maintain order. That said, if a police officer becomes threatening or violent, get his or her badge number. Keep your hands where officers can see them. Try to film or record the encounter, or ask someone else to do it. If you’re arrested, ask to see a lawyer and stay silent until you have legal help, according to the ACLU. Follow instructions given to you. If you witness an arrest, do not try to intervene but you can try to record the event.
- After the protest: Follow up. Learn about other ways to engage to make sure the campaign or advocacy does not end with the protest.
RESOURCES
- ACLU discusses the right under federal law to assemble and protest.
https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/protesters-rights/
- Wikipedia gives a thorough explanation of the right to protest.
- com offers a state-by-state look at protest laws.
https://civilrights.findlaw.com/enforcing-your-civil-rights/protest-laws-by-state.html
Congressional Campaign Update #9
Earlier this year we identified several senate races that are key to the democrats retaking a majority. Now, only two months from elections, we are taking a chance to revisit these races to see where ground has been won and lost.
We will first return to Arizona, where astronaut turned politician Mark Kelly has a sizable polling lead over incumbent Martha McSally. In a recent Fox News poll, Kelly has a 17-point lead, almost guaranteeing that this seat will flip. This isn’t a surprise to most who’ve been watching this race, as Kelly has projected to take this seat for some time now. This is a race that, back in May, we predicted Kelly would take.
Moving onto a race that has tightened with time, in Maine, Susan Collins has tightened the margin with her democratic challenger, former Maine Speaker of the House Sara Gideon. Gideon was the higher fundraiser at the beginning of the year and has garnered lots of financial backing from national democratic organizations. Both Collins and Gideon have released several attack ads as election day grows closer. The two will debate on September 11th, the first of what will be several high-profile debates. In the latest polling data by Public Policy Polling, Gideon holds a 4 point lead. This race will likely come down to the wire but we still think that Gideon will pull off the upset and flip the seat.
In North Carolina, we revisit the Senate race between incumbent Thom Tillis and challenger democratic Cal Cunningham. This race has seen Cunningham’s lead wane slowly over the course of the last several months, but he holds a 1 point lead in the latest poll by Monmouth University. Cunningham is struggling to connect with people of color and has been hit by a flurry of Tillis’s attack ads. Tillis challenged Cunningham to a series of debates leading up to the election, and with the race so close, this could tip the scales.
Another race that we looked at earlier this year was between incumbent Cory Gardner and challenger and former governor John Hickenlooper. Hickenlooper seemed to have a solid lead when we examined the race several months ago and it seems that his lead has only grown in the past few months. In a recent poll by Morning Consult, Hickenlooper has a 9 point lead that only seems to be growing. Overall, we expect Hickenlooper to hold onto this race and to flip the seat.
In Alabama, it seems as though incumbent Doug Jones will be losing his seat after just one term. After a close runoff in the Republican primary, it was finally decided that Jones’s opponent would be former University of Alabama football coach Tommy Tuberville, who is an ardent supporter of President Trump. A poll from August, conducted by Morning Consult, shows Tuberville with a whopping 17 point lead. This clearly bodes poorly for Jones, who has been in an uphill battle with his constituency since his election. We expect Jones to lose this race and for Tuberville to flip the seat.
As this election season heats up we expect these races to tighten even further, and will provide updates as we turn the corner to November. If our predictions hold, then the Democrats would gain a slight edge in the Senate, which could prove massive if Joe Biden can win the presidency. We will continue to cover all these races and more here at U.S. Resist News.
How Fox News and MSNBC have tied the BLM Protests to the 2020 Presidential Election
The death of George Floyd not only sparked more than three months of protests against police brutality and racism, but also made these issues a focal point of the 2020 presidential election. With just two months away before Americans decide who will take over the Oval Office, Black Lives Matter has become the most significant protest movement in the United States. While demonstrations have been largely peaceful, cities like Portland have become hotbeds of unrest. However, according to a new report released by the US Crisis Project, about 93% of racial justice protests in the United States have been peaceful and nondestructive since Floyd’s death. But as major cable news covers these developments, Fox and MSNBC offer two completely different narratives for voters: one that distinguishes peaceful protestors from ill-intentioned rioters and looters, and one that does not.
The former appears to be the mindset over at MSNBC. On the last day of August, Joe Scarborough and Reverend Al Sharpton discussed Joe Biden’s handling of the protests. Scarborough insisted Biden and civil rights groups like the NAACP have consistently condemned the unwanted violence. Sharpton agreed, making the case that Biden has spoken out against the unrest over the last several months.
“He [Biden] clearly has been one of the leading voices against the violence and against the looting,” said Sharpton, “while he supported our legitimate right to peaceful protest…people that are violent on either side are undermining what we are trying to achieve in terms of having policing that is fair and equal…”
On Fox News, Sean Hannity made the opposite claim. In his Gish gallop, rapid style of punditry, Hannity both condescendingly and authoritatively insisted Biden was not only weak, feeble, and hiding in his basement, but that he never denounced the riots at all, and that it was too late for Biden to issue any condemnation. In the same segment, Hannity also scoffed at the notion that peaceful protestors existed, and continued to assert that Biden, Democrats, and the liberal media were complacent in the increasing violence, despite evidence that Biden has been condemning rioters and looters since the death of Floyd.
In general, voices at Fox News have been trying to link the violent protestors to Biden and the Democratic Party at large. For example, Greg Gutfeld recently did a segment titled “Democrats ignored the violent riots until it impacted the polls.” Comparatively, MSNBC has been covering aspects of the protests that link Donald Trump to the violence, such as his defense of Kyle Rittenhouse, or how armed white supremacist groups have been invading these demonstrations. Earlier this month, Joy Reid asserted that if Trump wanted to end the rising mayhem, that he should tell his supporters via Twitter to go home, alluding that he is partly responsible for the violence that has been carried out by his supporters.
The Trumpian insult about Biden hiding in his basement had been making its rounds on Fox, but recently, the network had to shift gears in light of Biden making a visit to Kenosha, WI, to meet with the family of Jacob Blake. Last week in a Fox News Alert, Erin Perrine, the Trump 2020 director of press communications, said that Biden’s visit was for “purely political reasons.” Even though this is a desperate take, it is not a surprising one; at Fox News, if Biden does not leave his basement, he is hiding, but if he does leave to visit with a shooting victim, it is a political stunt.
While MSNBC is not without their past of examples of Democratic biases, they seem to be covering the central message of Black Lives Matter in a manner that distinguishes peaceful protestors from bad actors attempting to hijack their movement. Their analysis of these developments, overall, seems to parallel Biden’s views and rhetoric on the dynamic of the protests, an outlook that greatly contrasts against any Trump supporter who religiously watches Hannity and other Fox News pundits. Going forward, it will be interesting to see how MSNBC covers Biden’s views on Black Lives Matters’ call to defund the police, as he does not exactly share the same approach to police reform.
Articles:
- https://acleddata.com/acleddatanew/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ACLED_USDataReview_Sum2020_SeptWebPDF.pdf
- https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/04/us/blm-protests-peaceful-report-trnd/index.html
- https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-biden-condemn-violence/fact-check-joe-biden-has-condemned-violent-protests-in-the-last-three-months-idUSKBN25V2O1
- https://medium.com/@JoeBiden/we-are-a-nation-furious-at-injustice-9dcffd81978f
- Biden meets Blake family in visit to Kenosha; Trump holds rally in Pennsylvania
Videos:
- Rev. Al: Biden One Of Leading Voices Against Violence
- Greg Gutfeld: Democrats ignored violent riots until it impacted the polls
- Comparing Biden And Trump On 2020 Campaign Trail | MSNBC
- Trump Defends Man Charged With Killing Protesters As Critics Slam Trump For Fuel Violence
- Trump campaign blasts Biden’s ‘purely political’ Kenosha visit
- Hannity: Violence in US is preview of a Biden presidency
- Hannity: Democrats are terrified and desperate
What’s the Accord Between Israel and the United Arab Emirates All About?
Summary:
On August 31, flight LY971 landed in the United Arab Emirates after a three-hour journey from Israel. The touchdown acted as a seal of approval on the Abraham Accord, the agreement to normalize relations between the two countries. The deal was brokered by the Trump administration behind closed doors and announced suddenly on August 13.
The accord was hinted at in the Emirati ambassador to the United States Yousef Al Otaiba’s op-ed in Israel’s largest daily newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, in which the diplomat decried Israel’s plans to annex parts of the West Bank and offered the suggestion of diplomatic normalization as an alternative. Al Otaiba’s hopes for greater economic ties and security cooperation came to fruition: Israel suspended the planned annexation, while the Emirati government in Abu Dhabi signed the Abraham Accord into law. The Trump administration joined national newspapers in both signatory nations in pronouncing the agreement a historic step towards peace in the Middle East. The UAE is now only the third Arab government to normalize relations with Israel, after Egypt and Jordon.
Yet despite the fanfare, the Palestinian Authority and civil society throughout the Middle East have roundly criticized the deal for breaking the consensus in the Arab world that no country unilaterally sign a peace treaty with Israel.
And the deal was indeed unilateral — the Emirati government did not clue in any other Arab nation to its plans, abstaining even from inviting the Palestinian Authority or any other body representing the Palestinian people to the negotiations. Thus, an agreement that ostensible hinged on Israel halting its annexation of Palestinian-occupied land completely blindsided Palestinian leadership. Pro-peace movements view the move in bad faith and believe that the outcome of the Abraham Accord is at best ineffective and at worst harmful to the Arab world’s stated goals of a two-state solution and a lasting peace in the Middle East. Nour Odeg, a Palestinian writer and analyst, is quoted in the New York Times as writing that Abu Dhabi, “tried to use us as a fig leaf…Nobody buys it…Palestine did not factor into this.”
Analysis:
While this accord was sold to onlookers as a way of defending the Palestinian people from Israeli annexation efforts, the facts on the ground show that peace in the West Bank was, at best, an afterthought. This was an act of convenience for the signatories parties as well as for the Trump Administration, which used the accord to support two regimes friendly with the president, while ignoring the root of a conflict that was supposed to be center stage in the negotiations.
The deal was marketed as an accomplishment as great as the Israeli treaties with Egypt and Jordon, one that would bring peace to the Middle East, and yet it failed to accomplish any of its stated goals. This accord, while certainly a major shift in regional politics, is in no way relatable to the aforementioned peace deals, which marked the end of armed conflicts. In addition, the deal does little to address the root of the conflict it set out to resolve, with Israel showing little desire to negotiate with any Palestinian organization. Mairav Zonszein is quoted in the Jerusalem Post as pointing out that the Abraham Accord is Isreal’s attempt to sign a peace agreement with a country it was not at war with, “while continuing to occupy millions of Palestinians.”
The Emirati demand to halt Israel’s annexation plans was granted, though the plans had already long been stalled by recently-indicted Prime Minister Netanyahu’s waning political heft while he awaits the fourth election in a single year, following three contested results. In addition, poignant Brookings Institute analysis suggests that Netanyahu is surely keeping an eye on the upcoming US presidential election, with full knowledge that going forward with the planned annexation would potentially sour relations with a new, anti-annexation Biden-Harris administration. The UAE’s demands acted as an excuse for Israel to put a pause on an already drawn-out and internationally unpopular policy while appeasing hardliners within the country. With a window into regional markets, security cooperation and diplomacy with the Arab world on the table in return for simply maintaining the status quo, Israel got a whole lot more than they gave.
The UAE proclaimed their support of Palestine while using them as a justification to sign the Abraham Accord, unilaterally moving the goalpost for rapprochement with Israel from “when Palestine is liberated” to “when Israel pauses its current annexation plans.” The fact that Abu Dhabi has been inching towards normalization with Israel for years coupled with the lingering question about why they never consulted with the Palestinian Authority about their plans makes it clear that true peace between Israel and the Palestinians wasn’t exactly on the forefront of their mind.
As for the Trump administration, the salesmanship around the issue clearly points to the president’s plans to use the accord as a tagline in his reelection campaign. Branding a coming-together of two conservative, Trump-friendly administrations that leaves Palestinian civil liberties and self-determination out of the conversation as “peace in the Middle East” is the same kind of misdirection we have seen from this presidency on countless domestic and foreign policies throughout the last four years. While Arab-Israeli rapprochement could do wonders for developing soft diplomacy in the region, critics are right to worry that by leaving Palestinians outside the negotiations in such a supposedly historic treaty, and one that affects them so directly, sets a bad precedent for future negotiations.
As the broker of this accord, it was the Trump-administration’s solemn duty to use this opportunity to progress true peace in the Middle East. Instead, the president kicked the can down the road. The outcome of this agreement highlights the fact that president’s foreign policy is based on supporting governments over people, and that his administration is in no rush to address the underlying causes of regional instability as long as his allies come out on top. With so many Americans working tirelessly to address similar trends in the president’s domestic policies, it can be easy to overlook the damage done to the international landscape. Yet it is more vital now than ever to build solidarity between social movements and across borders to defend the decency of those lives ignored by authoritarian and reactionary governments.
Resistance Resources:
- IfNotNow is a, in their own words, a “movement of Jews to end Israel’s occupation and transform the American Jewish community.” The organization takes a stand against hate-fueled division, using progressive ideals to educate about antisemitism, racism, and other forms of abuse.
- The United Palestine Appeal, or UPA, works to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian people on the West Bank, Gaza Strip and in refugee camps abroad. They also put resources into developing Palestinian society through socioeconomic and civil development campaigns.
- The Palestine Advocacy Project is an advocacy organization dedicated to ending the unjust treatment of the Palestinian people through public media campaigns, informational training, workshops and seminars.
The Corruption of Sonny Perdue
Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, stands out among his fellow Executive Branch appointees in that he bring relevant experience to the post. He had previously served two terms as governor of Georgia and owns agriculture related businesses. In his time as the top politician of the Peach state, he racked up numerous ethics violations, which perhaps caught the eye of Donald Trump. As Ag Sec, Perdue has engaged in self-dealing and otherwise promoted an agenda running counter to the interests of the average American.
Government ethics reform was ostensibly a major component of Perdue’s time in the Georgia governor’s mansion. He signed into law legislation that prevented himself and any other state employees from accepting gifts over $25. However in two terms over eight years he received over $25K in gifts. In his time in office 13 complaints were filed against Perdue with the Georgia State Ethics Commission. Twice the commission ruled against the governor, resulting in fines. Perdue was additionally accused of passing tax reform through the Republican-led state legislature to avoid $100K in capital gains tax from a real estate sale, then turning around and using the money to buy a parcel of land in Florida from an individual he’s appointed to the state’s economic advisory board.
At his Senate confirmation hearing, Perdue stressed his commitment to ‘’customer service.’’ Those customers appear to be disproportionately large, multinational corporations. Trump’s trade war with China has impacted America’s farmers as much as any of his policies. In attaching tariffs to commodities like soybeans and pork belly, Trump shut out millions of farmers from the world’s largest consumer marketplace. The administration’s solution was an impetuous $16 billion in relief, for which Congressional approval was not received. Its recipients were overwhelmingly giant farm conglomerates. JBS, a Brazilian company and largest meat producer in the world, received $82 million in pork contracts funded directly by the bailout money. Roughly 10% of eligible farmers received nearly 70% of all available relief. The top 1% of farmers received an average of $183K in bailouts, while the bottom 80% received an average of $5K. The program was additionally controversial as it shielded Trump from significant political fallout from his haphazard tariff tit-for-tat. US taxpayers subsidized the wealthiest farmers on the planet while simultaneously attempting to kick millions off food stamps. That course of action speaks volumes about the ‘’customers’’ Perdue is intent on serving.
As head of the USDA, Perdue is responsible for federal laws which concern farming, forestry, rural economic development and food. Scientific consensus dictates that man-made climate change poses short and long-term threats to each of these areas. Perdue is among the many skeptics in the Trump administration electing to bury their hands in the sand as precious time to address the issue slips away. While acknowledging climate change as fact, he has publicly expressed doubts about its severity and prioritized removing ‘’onerous regulations’’ on farmers, rather than address the impeding damage of an increasingly hotter planet. For decades, the USDA has publicly promoted its findings of government-funded studies to better educate farmers and consumers alike. Never an outfit to respect precedent, the Trump administration has refused to publish dozens of studies designed to investigate the far-reaching effects of climate change. The administration is attempting to suppress evidence contrary to their staunch denial of climate science. Among the studies swept under the rug include findings that rice may lose nutrients in a carbon-rich atmosphere (which would be devastating to the over half a billion people who subside primarily on the grain) and that farmers may have poorer quality grass on which to raise cattle. All told, at least 45 USDA studies related to the effects of climate change have received no publicity. Perdue holds a degree in veterinary medicine and has stated good science should guide policy. His actions have not reflected that stance, as he has habitually towed the Trump line on climate science.
No department in Trump’s Executive Branch would be complete without a political appointee undermining its efficacy and filling the ranks with undue hires. 42 resumes of political appointees were reviewed by Politico. 22 had worked on the Trump campaign with no relevant experience in their field. A former pesticide lobbyist was placed in charge of a deregulation team. Under Perdue, chemical companies have enjoyed a troubling ease of access to officials, even by the standards of the Trump administration. Perdue has also overseen a mass exodus of career government scientists by moving the USDA’s research office from Washington to Kansas City. Affected employees were given 33 days to decide whether to accept relocation or lose their job. Most quit, taking with them incalculable experience on important research at a crucial time.
The Trump administration has been plagued by scandal and ethics concerns from its outset. Sonny Perdue has not made many splashy headlines in that regard. Nonetheless he has taken deliberate action to undercut his department’s function and public trust in it. He has not been so brazen in his malfeasance as to attract attention and enmity. His lower profile has likely allowed him to operate unimpeded and do far-reaching damage.
Trump administration loosens limits on coal pollution
Policy Summary
On Monday, August 31, the US EPA under the Trump administration announced that it has made revisions to a 2015 Obama era policy that places pollution restrictions on power plants that burn coal. The policy, known as the Effluent Limitations Guidelines (ELG) for coal-fired power plants, limits how much heavy metal toxins and other waterborne pollutants coal powered electric generation plants can release into local waters or wastewater facilities.
Explained very simply, a coal powered electric generation plant burns coal to heat water into steam, which in turn generates electricity. Two waste streams produced by this process are affected by the EPA’s revisions. The first pollution stream results from the toxic gases produced by the burning of coal, which are passed through treated water to remove the toxins and particulate matter before being released from the flue into the air. The water with the dissolved toxins and ash in it is known as Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) wastewater. The second waste stream affected by the EPA’s new revisions is known as Bottom Ash (BA) transport water, which is water used to carry away the toxic coal ash leftover in the bottom of the boiler tanks from the steaming process.
The pollution limits and guidelines for these two waste streams, as written by the Obama administration’s regulation in 2015, established the following:
- Set the first ever limits on the amount of pollutants (arsenic, mercury, selenium, and nitrogen) power plants can dump into local water bodies via FGD wastewater. The policy set specific limits on how much of each toxin the FGD wastewater could contain before being released into the local water system. Power plants that needed to meet these compliance standards were required to adopt new best available technologies (BAT) to remove pollutants from the wastewater.
- Required that all coal-fired power plants recycle 100% of their BA transport water (which contains coal ash and other suspended solids and toxic elements), instead of purging into local water bodies.
- Required that compliance with the new guidelines and limitations be met by 2023.
*The Obama administration estimated $451-$566 million annually in monetary benefits to public health, environmental health, and economic health as a result of this regulation.
Today’s EPA under the Trump administration has revised these guidelines and limitations as follows:
- The best available technologies required by the Obama administration’s 2015 guidelines for use in the removal of toxic pollutants from wastewater are no longer a requirement for coal-fired power plants. The EPA claims it has found “more affordable technologies that are capable of removing similar amounts of discharges.”
- Coal-fired power plants are no longer required to recycle 100% of their BA transport water. Instead, the EPA has established a “pollutant discharge allowance,” where the amount of toxic water that a power plant can release into the local water system “will be determined on a case-by-case basis by the permitting authority, based on best professional judgement,” up to 10% of the plant’s daily BA wastewater.
- Power plants that “cease coal combustion by 2028” may be exempt from the guidelines all together.
- The case-by-case deadlines for complying with the regulations have been pushed back so that power plants that have failed to meet their already passed deadlines will not receive any penalty. The Obama guidelines required the necessary power plants to meet compliance by their next permit renewal, the earliest one being by November 1, 2018 and the last deadline being by January 2023. November 1, 2020 is now the earliest deadline for compliance — “in order to allow EPA time for reconsideration of the regulatory provisions.”
*The Trump administration estimates a $140 million annual cost reduction for power plants as a result of these revisions.
The new guidelines set forth by the EPA essentially push back the deadline for coal-fired power plants to comply with reducing pollution; increases the amounts of pollutants allowed to be released by the power plants; allows the use of cheaper technologies that are less effective at removing pollutants from wastewater before it is released; and exempts some power plants all together from meeting compliance, as long as they plan to shut down or switch to natural gas by 2028.
Analysis
EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler and the coal industry both had praise for the regulation’s revisions. Wheeler claims, “Newer, more affordable pollution control technologies and flexibility on the regulation’s phase-in will reduce pollution and save jobs at the same time.” President of the National Mining Association, Rich Nolan, said of the new regulation, “The coal industry wants to be able to compete while also safeguarding important environmental protections – this rule shows that balance is possible.” The EPA also claims the revisions will reduce “toxic pollution by nearly 1 million pounds per year greater than what the Obama-era controls would have.”
Environmental groups, however, say the revisions allow the industry to “use cheaper, less effective treatment methods on polluted wastewater that puts waterways at risk.” The treatment technologies allowed by the EPA’s revisions use a shorter biological treatment process which leaves the resulting wastewater with a higher concentration of selenium than the technologies required under the previous guidelines. The EPA’s revisions, “sets a daily maximum limit on selenium at 76 micrograms per liter, more than three times the Obama-era limit of 23 micrograms per liter.”
Frank Holleman, senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center wrote in an email to POWER Magazine, “With today’s rollback of clean water protections, the Trump EPA allows dirty coal-burning plants to dump more toxic substances into our rivers, lakes, and drinking reservoirs and exposes our communities to more cancer-causing pollution. The EPA itself has estimated that at least 30 percent of all toxic water pollution from all industries comes from these plants, and the technology to prevent and treat this pollution is widely available. The EPA is making it easier for the most polluting and worst run coal-fired plants to dump poisons into the waterways our communities depend upon.”
Thom Cmar, deputy managing attorney of the Earthjustice Coal Program, agrees. He says of the EPA’s revisions, “The Trump administration is once again jeopardizing people’s health to give coal power industry lobbyists what they want. This dangerous decision will have a big impact because dirty coal-fired power plants are by far the number one source of toxic chemicals in our water.” He argues, “The Trump administration’s rollback will be responsible for hundreds of thousands of pounds of pollutants contaminating sources of drinking water, lakes, rivers and streams every year. We will challenge this rule change in court.”
Resistance Resources
EarthJustice
- Behind nearly every major environmental win, you will find EarthJustice. EarthJustice’s legal work has saved irreplaceable wildlands, cleaned up the air we breathe, and fueled the rise of 100% clean energy. It has protected countless species on the brink of extinction, and secured long-overdue, historic limits on our nation’s worst polluting industries. https://earthjustice.org/
Southern Environmental Law Center
- The Southern Environmental Law Center uses the power of the law to champion the environment of the Southeast. https://www.southernenvironment.org/
Environmental Defense Fund
- One of the world’s largest environmental organizations and a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Preserving the natural systems on which all life depends. https://www.edf.org/
Natural Resources Defense Council
- Works to safeguard the earth – its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. Combining the power of more than three million members and online activists with the expertise of some 700 scientists, lawyers, and policy advocates across the globe to ensure the rights of all people to the air, the water, and the wild. https://www.nrdc.org/
Sources Cited
- Proctor, D. (2020, September 02). EPA Loosens Limits on Coal Plant Effluent Discharges. Retrieved September 04, 2020, from https://www.powermag.com/epa-loosens-limits-on-coal-plant-effluent-discharges/
- Smith, A. (2020, August 31). EPA loosens controls on coal plants’ toxic waste that industry said would cause closures. Retrieved September 04, 2020, from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/energy/epa-loosens-controls-on-coal-plants-toxic-waste-that-industry-said-would-cause-closures
- United States, EPA, Office of Water. (2015, September 30). Final Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Industry. Retrieved September 04, 2020, from https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-10/documents/steam-electric-final-rule-factsheet_10-01-2015.pdf
- United States, EPA, Office of Water. (2015, September 30). Technical Development Document for the Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category. Retrieved September 4, 2020, from https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-10/documents/steam-electric-tdd_10-21-15.pdf
- United States, EPA, Office of Water. (2020, August). Supplemental Technical Development Document for Revisions to the Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category. Retrieved September 4, 2020, from https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2020-08/documents/steam_electric_elg_2020_final_reconsideration_rule_supplemental_technical_development_document_0.pdf
- United States, EPA, Office of Water. (2020, August 31). Final Steam Electric Reconsideration Rule Fact Sheet. Retrieved September 04, 2020, from https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2020-08/documents/steam_electric_elg_2020_final_reconsideration_rule_fact_sheet.pdf
- United States, EPA, Press Office. (2020, August 31). EPA Finalizes Power Plant Effluent Limitation Guidelines that Save Money and Reduce Pollution. Retrieved September 04, 2020, from https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-finalizes-power-plant-effluent-limitation-guidelines-save-money-and-reduce
- Volcovici, V. (2020, August 31). U.S. EPA rolls back limits on wastewater from coal plants. Retrieved September 04, 2020, from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-epa-coal/u-s-epa-rolls-back-limits-on-waste-water-from-coal-plants-idUSKBN25R2QK