POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Boston’s top cop: Floyd death ‘A DAMNED SHAME’ — State revenues CRUMBLE — BOSTON MARATHON officially canceled

By Stephanie Murray GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. NO STATE CONVENTION THIS WEEKEND — This was supposed to be a big weekend for Sen. Ed Markey in his campaign against primary challenger Rep. Joe Kennedy III, before the state Democratic convention was derailed by the coronavirus. The convention would have been a show of strength for Markey, who falls behind Kennedy in campaign fundraising and viewers on social media, an increasingly important metric as campaigns are forced to operate mostly online during a time of social distancing. Markey was expected to win at the gathering of Massachusetts Democrats on May 30, and delivering a speech to the state's activists could have resulted in a burst of positive news coverage, energy on social media and footage for campaign ads. But due to the pandemic, that won't happen. The state party moved to cancel the convention in March amid coronavirus concerns, meaning Kennedy and Markey won't have the chance to address the convention in person. Both campaigns agreed Markey would be considered the winner of the convention, and Kennedy would meet the delegate voting threshold to be placed on the ballot as a Democrat. Convention delegates are elected by local Democratic caucuses in the months leading up to the convention, and the campaigns agree Markey had racked up more delegates, though they disagree on the size of Markey’s lead. A caveat: The winner of the state convention doesn't always go on to win the primary in September. Just ask former Boston City Councilor Josh Zakim, who won the 2018 convention and lost to Secretary of State Bill Galvin in the primary. In place of the convention, both candidates will rally their supporters online. Kennedy will host a "Regional Organizing Convention" on Zoom, which his campaign expects more than 1,000 people will attend. And Markey will lead two get-out-the-vote events for Democrats running in special elections for state legislative seats, Danillo Sena and Carol Doherty, who are on the ballot June 2. Markey and Kennedy will meet next in a television studio, not at the state convention in Lowell as initially planned. The pair will debate in Springfield on Monday night, weeks after a debate set for March was postponed due to the coronavirus. And they'll meet again a week later for another debate at WPRI's studio in Providence, RI. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com. TODAY — Attorney General Maura Healey and Rep. Jim McGovern discuss coronavirus on Facebook Live. Rep. Lori Trahan hosts a telephone town hall on the coronavirus. Sen. Ed Markey, Rep. Richard Neal and Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer hold a virtual press conference to announce new passenger rail legislation. Neal and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno announce CARES Act funding for the PVTA. Rep. Katherine Clark visits the Bread of Life food pantry in Malden.   LISTEN UP! Congress is nowhere close to a coronavirus deal. More Americans are applying for unemployment benefits. States across the nation are opening up but trying to avoid a 2nd wave. POLITICO Dispatch is a short, daily podcast that provides critical news and context you need, in 15 minutes or less. Subscribe and listen today.     THE LATEST NUMBERS – “Mass. reports 675 new coronavirus cases, 93 new deaths as key metrics trend generally downward,” by Jaclyn Reiss, Boston Globe: “The state reported Thursday that the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in Massachusetts had risen by 93 cases to 6,640, as key metrics that state officials are monitoring continued to trend generally downward. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases climbed by 675 to 94,895.” DATELINE BEACON HILL – “With state revenues crumbling, Massachusetts took out a $1.75 billion credit line,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “Drawing little public attention at the time, Massachusetts state officials opened a $1.75 billion line of credit this month to help plug budget gaps ripped open by the novel coronavirus, a grim fiscal reality that, one watchdog warned, could hang over the state for years. The credit line, disclosed in a nearly 600-page financial statement released last week by state leaders, marks a rare step by state officials, both in its size and purpose.” – “Spotlight on Urena in Soldiers’ Home scandal,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “The scandal at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home is putting a spotlight on Secretary of Veterans’ Services Francisco Urena, with one veteran’s organization calling for his resignation – a development that is bringing the scandal closer to Gov. Charlie Baker. Thursday morning, Daniel Stack, department adjutant for the Massachusetts chapter of Disabled American Veterans, told CommonWealth that Urena should be fired.” – “Relatives, employees at Holyoke soldiers’ home skeptical of e-mails released by suspended superintendent,” by Hanna Krueger, Boston Globe: “This cruel end to a life of dignity and service is all his daughter, Sue Perez, could think about Tuesday when a lawyer for the home’s suspended superintendent, Bennett Walsh, held a news conference to defend his handling of the outbreak, which has claimed the lives of 76 veterans. Walsh, who is on paid leave during state and federal investigations into the outbreak, was not present.” – “State revenues plummeted overnight. But they could take 5 years to recover, watchdog warns,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “It took just weeks for the coronavirus pandemic to send Massachusetts’s finances into a tailspin. It could five years to fully recover. The grim outlook, detailed in a report released Thursday by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, underscores the bleak economic future awaiting the state as it navigates the fallout from COVID-19. And even that scenario comes with a caveat.” – “Mass. again sees rise in unemployment claims under pandemic program,” by Greg Ryan, Boston Business Journal: “The number of gig workers, self-employed and others making unemployment claims under a special pandemic program continues to grow in Massachusetts, even as traditional jobless claims remain at historically high levels. For the week ending May 23, the state saw more than 147,500 initial claims to the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, which is meant to cover the self-employed, workers in the gig economy, and others ineligible for traditional unemployment benefits.” – “Baker says ‘vast majority’ of unemployment claims checked so far not fraudulent,” by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: “Gov. Charlie Baker said the ‘vast majority’ of Massachusetts unemployment claims checked so far are legitimate — amid concerns over a national fraud scheme to bilk states out of benefit dollars. The state temporarily withheld benefit payments to about 150,000 claimants this week, but Baker said the majority of those checks have now made their way into the pockets of Massachusetts’ jobless.” – “Polito criticized for sending ‘mixed messages’ on outdoor gatherings in coronavirus era,” by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: “After attending a graduation party over Memorial Day weekend, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito was pressed to clarify what kind of gatherings are permissible under current coronavirus-era restrictions around social distancing and gathering sizes — after sending what one official called ‘mixed messages.’” FROM THE HUB – “Boston Marathon called off over coronavirus, race will be online only,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “The already delayed run of The Boston Marathon will not happen this year over coronavirus concerns, Mayor Martin Walsh and Boston Athletic Association officials said on Thursday. The marathon, a huge and important annual event, had been postponed until Sept. 14 from its normal April run in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.” – “Boston police commissioner calls death of George Floyd ‘a damned SHAME’ in Twitter message,” by Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: “Boston police Commissioner William G. Gross said Thursday that he supported the decision by authorities in Minneapolis to fire four officers involved in the death of 46-year-old George Floyd, a black man who died after a violent encounter with police in that Midwestern city on Memorial Day. ‘My sympathy and condolences to the family of George Floyd who died after an encounter with Minneapolis Police Officers,’ Gross tweeted. ‘I support the decision of Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo to terminate the four officers involved. Mr. Floyd’s death is a damned SHAME! God Bless him.’” – “Protestors gather in Boston to decry death of George Floyd in police custody,” by Malini Basu, Boston25: Protestors chanted ‘Please, I can’t breathe.’ Dozens gathered in front of the Ashmont T stop in Dorchester on Thursday evening for 46-year-old George Floyd, who died in police custody in Minnesota. ‘Another black body has been killed,’ said Rev. Vernon K. Walker, a protester.” – “Coronavirus deaths in Massachusetts nursing homes show need for reform, advocates say,” by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: “More than 80 nursing homes in Massachusetts have recorded at least 20 coronavirus deaths among residents — a grim tally advocates say sheds light not only on the pandemic’s devastating toll in long-term care facilities but on issues with staffing and infection control that existed long before COVID-19.” – “More than 100 residents dead from coronavirus at Hebrew Senior Life facilities,” by Jeremy C. Fox, Boston Globe: “More than 100 residents have died from coronavirus outbreaks at rehabilitation and nursing facilities in Greater Boston owned by Hebrew Senior Life, including nearly 80 patients at locations in Roslindale and Dedham, the company said this week. At the 455-bed Hebrew Rehabilitation Center in Roslindale, 50 long-term chronic care hospital patients have died, and 29 have died at the 220-bed Dedham center, Hebrew Senior Life said in an update posted online Thursday.” DAY IN COURT – “Legal skirmishing continues at Bristol County Jail,” by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: “Even as Covid-19 deaths and infections are declining across Massachusetts, legal skirmishing is continuing at the Bristol County Jail over the safety of federal immigration detainees. Legal advocates for some of the detainees say their clients have been held too long in single cells, segregated from other detainees, in violation of the Criminal Justice Reform Act of 2018.” – “Worcester will drop criminal complaint against Pastor Kristopher Casey, Adams Square Baptist Church says lawsuit remains ‘until we hear from them,’” by Michael Bonner, MassLive.com: “Worcester City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. announced Thursday the city will be dropping the criminal complaint against the Adams Square Baptist Church. The complaint was filed against the church at 266 Lincoln St. after pastor Kristopher Casey was conducting on site services despite Gov. Charlie Baker’s order prohibiting more than 10 people gathering at a location.” – “Mayor Domenic Sarno asks court not to grant leniency to Springfield church arsonist,” by Ray Kelly, Springfield Republican: “Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said granting leniency to the arsonist who torched an African-American church on the night Barack Obama was first elected president ‘would send the wrong message to our Springfield community and beyond.’ Michael Jacques, convicted by a jury in 2011 for setting fire to Macedonia Church of God in Christ on Tinkham Road in November 2008, seeks to shave three years off his nearly 14-year sentence because of the COVID-19 pandemic.” WARREN REPORT – “Elizabeth Warren accuses airlines and the Treasury Department of violating bailout terms as major airlines cut workers' take-home pay,” by David Slotnick, Business Insider: “Airlines have cut thousands of employees' work hours in recent weeks, despite a provision of the federal coronavirus bailout prohibiting layoffs or furloughs before September 30. Now, lawmakers are questioning those airlines and the US Treasury Department, which is administering the bailouts, saying they're effectively allowing furloughs in all but name, and accusing the Treasury of violating the spirit of the bipartisan relief package that passed in March.” MARKEYCHUSETTS – “Ed Markey stresses need for federal economic support,” by Jon Winkler, Nashoba Valley Voice: “As the coronavirus pandemic continues to shake the national economy to a frightening degree, Sen. Ed Markey wants to emphasize the need for that money to keep essential services afloat. The Massachusetts Democrat took questions from local business owners and residents during a Zoom call hosted by the Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday morning.” KENNEDY COMPOUND – “JFK Library Foundation asks for nominations of frontline workers for special Profile in Courage Award,” by Matt Berg, Boston Globe: “The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation is asking the public to submit stories of people in their communities who are on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic for a special Profile in Courage Award, the organization said. The foundation will choose several submissions about a person who risks ‘their own health to help heal the sick, protect our most vulnerable, and provide critical support services to citizens across the country,’ the group said in a statement.” ABOVE THE FOLD — Herald: “FIX IT!" "AND IT'S OFF,” — Globe : “A new look for day care," "Marathon is off for the first time in history." FROM THE 413 – “Lawmakers lean in to get virus testing at Pittsfield CVS,” by Larry Parnass, The Berkshire Eagle: “‘Once again,’ the lawmakers' lament to Boston said, ‘the Berkshires get ignored, even when it comes to testing.’ This Friday, pleas to expand the availability of testing for the coronavirus will bear fruit when the drugstore chain CVS debuts self-administered swabs at its West Street location. It will be the first alternative to public testing administered by Berkshire Health Systems. The closest CVS location offering tests has been West Springfield.” THE LOCAL ANGLE – “State Rep. Dooley faces opposition from young Wrentham resident in re-election bid,” by Stephen Peterson, Sun Chronicle: “A young town resident has set his sights on state Rep. Shawn Dooley's seat. Hunter Cohen, a freshman at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, has declared his candidacy for the Sept. 1 Democratic primary. With no other candidates emerging so far for the office, Cohen and Dooley, R-Norfolk, would end up facing each other in the Nov. 3 general election.” – “Peabody mayor looks to fast-track outdoor dining,” by Ethan Forman, The Salem News: “The city is trying to jump start the reopening of businesses shuttered or hobbled during the pandemic, with the mayor looking to fast-track the process to allow restaurants to provide outdoor seating. The city's reopening committee, which includes the mayor's office, health director and several other city department heads, is working on reopening both City Hall and city businesses, in keeping with the governor's safety guidelines.” – “Bourne to hold town meetings outside,” by Beth Treffeisen, Cape Cod Times: “Because of unprecedented circumstances created by the coronavirus outbreak, Bourne town officials have decided to hold the annual and special town meetings outside, as other events in town continued to be delayed or canceled. ‘This is a strange juxtaposition that it is OK for some bodies to get together and for others not,’ board Chairwoman Judith Froman said. ‘It is conflicting and stressful.’” – “Worcester sees spike in serious strokes, heart attacks; Doctors believe fear kept patients with early symptoms away from hospitals,” by Michael Bonner, MassLive.com: “The month of May began with about 400 patients at UMass Memorial Health Care that had either tested positive for coronavirus or were under close watch. As the month nears its end, its president and CEO, Dr. Eric Dickson, said the number is down 40%.” REMEMBERING DONNA MORRISSEY … via the Boston Globe: “Morrissey died last Friday from the coronavirus at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. She was 51. She resided in Newton and Brewster. It was a life well-lived … and devoted to others.” Link. HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY – to radio host Jeff Santos, who celebrated Thursday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to former Senate candidate Shannon Liss-Riordan, state Rep. Michelle Ciccolo, Charles River Esplanade Executive Director Michael Nichols, WGBH’s Matt Baskin, CNN's Eric Levenson, Alicia DePaolo and Alberto N. Nuñez. HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND – to state Senate Ways and Means chair Michael Rodrigues, Joe Williams and Wes Ritchie, who all celebrate Saturday. And to WPRI’s Ted Nesi and Gena Mangiaratti, who both celebrate Sunday. NEW EPISODE: ROAM ALONE – On this week’s Horse Race podcast, hosts Steve Koczela, Jennifer Smith, and Stephanie Murray discuss new transportation polling amid the coronavirus pandemic, and CommonWealth Magazine's Sarah Betancourt talks about languages available on the state's unemployment portal. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud. Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.   POLITICO Magazine Justice Reform: The Decarceration Issue, presented by Verizon: Over the past decade, the longstanding challenge of criminal-justice reform has emerged under the spotlight with a new twist: Both Republicans and Democrats are on board. But, if both parties want to lower the incarceration rate, why are U.S. jail and prison populations still so high? The latest series from POLITICO Magazine works to answer this important question and take a deeper look into what it will take to make progress in the policy and politics of justice reform. READ THE FULL ISSUE.       Follow us on Twitter Stephanie Murray @StephMurr_Jour   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters

POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA

MICHIGAN Fools, AIRLINES BAILOUT, OLIGARCHY

FAKE NEWS

CAN WE STOP SUPPORTING A LOSER?

RSN: Erik Prince Offered Lethal Services to Sanctioned Russian Mercenary Firm Wagner

13 April 20

It's Live on the HomePage Now:
Reader Supported News

HELP OUT FOLKS, IT WON’T KILL YOU. - All of this fund raising is for roughly 700 donations a month. We get 20,000 readers a day. Standing up against that now. / Marc Ash, Founder Reader Supported News

Sure, I'll make a donation!

---

Erik Prince Offered Lethal Services to Sanctioned Russian Mercenary Firm Wagner

Matthew Cole and Alex Emmons, The Intercept

Excerpt: "Erik Prince, founder of the private security firm Blackwater and a Trump administration adviser, has sought in recent months to provide military services to a sanctioned Russian mercenary firm in at least two African conflicts, according to three people with knowledge of the efforts."

Prince, who is the brother of Trump Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, met earlier this year with a top official of Russia’s Wagner Group and offered his mercenary forces to support the firm’s operations in Libya and Mozambique, according to two people familiar with Prince’s offer.

Wagner officials said they are not interested in working with Prince, three people familiar with their decision told The Intercept.

A lawyer for Prince denied that his client met anyone from Wagner.

The Wagner Group is a semi-private military force that operates in countries or conflicts where the Russian government seeks plausible deniability for its activities. It is often equipped and supported directly by the Russian Ministry of Defense, according to reports and experts who track Wagner’s activities. The U.S. State Department website also lists Wagner as an entity connected to the “Defense Sector of the Government of the Russian Federation.” Any business relationship between Prince and Wagner would, in effect, make the influential Trump administration adviser a subcontractor to the Russian military.

In recent years, the Russian government has deployed Wagner to several African countries, Ukraine, and Syria, where the U.S. military killed dozens of Wagner fighters in 2018 after the Russians and their Syrian allies attacked an oil facility that the United States was defending.

“Wagner Group is an instrument of Russian policy. It works under the GRU, which is the Russian military intelligence,” said Sean McFate, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and a former military contractor who has written about mercenaries.

In attempting to do business with Wagner, Prince may also have exposed himself to legal liability. In 2017, the Trump administration sanctioned Wagner, as well as its founder and head Dmitry Utkin, for having “recruited and sent soldiers to fight alongside [Russian-backed] separatists in eastern Ukraine” during the 2014 Russian invasion. The Russian government denied involvement in the invasion, even as its forces occupied and took control of Crimea, also in Ukrainian territory, in violation of international law.

The sanctions prohibit individuals or companies from providing “financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order.” They also forbid anyone “to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf” of Wagner. The 2017 addition of Wagner to the sanctions list builds on a 2014 executive order signed by President Barack Obama.

“In my experience, the act of soliciting from a sanctioned party would indeed be an apparent violation,” said Brian O’Toole, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council and former senior sanctions official at the Treasury Department. “Whether you make that [legal] case is an entirely separate matter,” he said, adding that pitching business to Wagner “would seem to be a fairly egregious thing to do.”

When Prince met with Wagner leadership, he was already under federal investigation for violating arms trafficking regulations. The proposal to the Russian firm also raises questions about whether Trump administration officials authorized the meeting or were aware of Prince’s efforts to work with the group.

A former Navy SEAL who rose to prominence and notoriety as head of the private security firm Blackwater, Prince has been a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, serving as an unofficial adviser on military and foreign policy issues in Africa, the Middle East, and Afghanistan. Prince was a Trump donor in 2016 and has worked to support the president politically while proposing private military solutions that would benefit his companies financially.

Early in the Trump administration, Prince proposed privatizing the war in Afghanistan and supplying Trump with a private spy service intended to circumvent the U.S. intelligence community. Neither proposal succeeded, despite having support for some of his ideas from senior administration officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

For years, Prince has tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to win military contracts with governments in Africa and the Middle East. Wagner has become an increasingly visible player in the region as Russia’s influence there has grown, allowing the country to operate under the radar at a time when “plausible deniability is more powerful than firepower,” according to McFate, the mercenary expert.

“The reason why groups like Wagner exist, and the reason why people like Erik Prince [are] succeeding, is that modern war is getting sneakier and mercenaries and groups like Wagner are a great way to get things done in the shadows,” McFate said.

Libya has been divided and in conflict since the U.S. and NATO allies removed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The United Nations and most of the international community, including the U.S, recognize the Government of National Accord in the Libyan capital Tripoli as the country’s official leaders. But the eastern portion of the country is led by strongman Khalifa Hifter, who tried last year to take Tripoli. Both sides are backed by foreign powers that have continually violated a U.N. embargo on military support. Turkey and Qatar have supported the GNA, while Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt have backed Hifter.

Last spring, Hifter’s forces, the Libyan National Army, moved to take Tripoli, but were thwarted within days. Hifter turned to Moscow and Wagner. Americans are prohibited from aiding either side of the conflict without U.S. government authorization.

At the same time, Prince sought to provide a force in Mozambique, where the government has been fighting a small insurgency over the past two years. President Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique flew to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in August 2019. The countries signed several trade pacts, and Russia agreed to send military aid. Russian military hardware and Russian nationals working for Wagner arrived in Mozambique in September, according to news reports.

After Wagner lost more than a dozen fighters in Mozambique, Prince sent a proposal to the Russian firm offering to supply a ground force as well as aviation-based surveillance, according to documents viewed by The Intercept and a person familiar with Prince’s proposal.

Prince has also served as an adviser to the de facto ruler of the United Arab Emirates, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, known as MBZ, for more than a decade. Under bin Zayed’s leadership, the UAE, a close regional ally of the U.S., has intervened militarily in several regional wars in the Middle East and Africa. A pariah during the Obama administration, Prince was taken in by the Emirati crown prince and awarded a contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars to create and train a presidential guard for the royal family. He was later removed for mismanagement, among other reasons.

Prince also has ties to China. He is co-chair of Frontier Services Group, a Hong-Kong based logistics company he founded and whose largest investor is the Chinese government. The Intercept has previously reported that the U.S. government has investigated Prince for his ties to China’s intelligence service. The conflicts between Prince’s commercial interests and the goals of the many governments that retain his services have piled up as Prince has tried to sell military and mercenary capabilities around the world. FSG, for example, signed a contract for fishing rights in Mozambique around the same time Prince began exploring defense contracts there. The fishing contract has since been dissolved, according to the company.

“The conflicts of interest are deep and threaten democracy when you have a free agent going between the U.S. and its main power rivals,” said McFate. “It would never clear an intelligence community background check. This is a dangerous thing for any democracy.”

READ MORE

People wait for the San Antonio Food Bank to begin food distribution as need soars. (photo: William Luther/AP)

With Working Americans' Survival at Stake, the US Is Bailing Out the Richest
Morris Pearl and William Lazonick, Guardian UK
Excerpt: "Amid a humanitarian crisis compounded by mass layoffs and collapsing economic activity, the last course our legislators should be following is the one they appear to be on right now: bailing out shareholders and executives."

EXCERPT:

Over the past five years alone, airline executives – who were first in line clamoring for a bailout – spent $52bn in corporate cash on buybacks, at the expense of employee wage increases, capital expenditures and investments in innovation. Now that these businesses are being handed government funds, we need to make sure that top executives and wealthy shareholders don’t do this again: channel money into their own bank accounts while leaving employees wondering how they are going to pay their bills.

If not properly managed, this economic disaster has the potential to be the worst in American history. Our country cannot allow a small number of executives and shareholders to profit from taxpayer funds that we have injected into these corporations for reasons of pure emergency. We need to stop this rot at the core of our economic system and realign the priorities of government with those of workers and consumers.

Even in normal times, America’s extreme economic inequality was a festering sore. Now, this previously unimaginable public-health disaster is pulling back the curtain to reveal how this inequality can make victims of all of us. As we join together in the struggle to defeat the coronavirus, it is vital that we protect vulnerable Americans against further harm.

READ MORE

This syringe was used Wednesday to inject 250 micrograms of a vaccine researchers hope may be effective against the coronavirus. (photo: Ian Haydon)

I Just Got a Shot of a Coronavirus Vaccine. I Hope It Works!
Ian Haydon, The Washington Post
Haydon writes: "At 10:16 Pacific time Wednesday morning, I received an injection in my left shoulder. It contained 250 micrograms of an experimental coronavirus vaccine, the first to be tested in humans."

EXCERPT:

This vaccine involves a relatively new strategy. All vaccines attempt to train the immune system to respond to an invader before it has breached the gates. Usually, that means injecting a weakened pathogen or part of one into a healthy person.

Instead of injecting me with protein derived from the virus, the researchers jabbed me with genetic material encoding such a protein. If my body absorbs this code and carries out its instructions, some of my cells will temporarily produce a single protein from the virus. That should prompt my immune system to create antibodies against the viral molecule. The idea is that those antibodies would protect against the real virus.

Moderna, the company that produced the candidate I’m trying, has tested this vaccine technology before for other diseases, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus. It has not yet resulted in a licensed vaccine, and it may never. When it comes to experimenting with the immune system, nothing is guaranteed.

There are risks, and no one knows what they are yet — that’s why there is a trial. Every drug or vaccine vying for regulatory approval eventually must be put into people for the first time. Subjects in other mRNA vaccine studies have reported good health overall, though many experience redness and pain at the site of injection, muscle fatigue, and headaches — all of which can be severe.

There are other risks, too. No one knows how the human immune system reacts to seeing just this one viral protein. It could produce antibodies that exacerbate infection, as happened with candidate vaccines meant for other infectious diseases. This risk is low but part of the reason careful studies are needed before vaccination ramps up.

READ MORE

Virginia gov. Ralph Northam (D) made marijuana decriminalization a top priority for 2020. (photo: Zach Gibson/Getty Images)

Virginia Just Decriminalized Marijuana
German Lopez, Vox
Lopez writes: "The state is the 27th to decriminalize or legalize marijuana."
READ MORE

A city worker hands out unemployment applications to people lined up in their cars on April 8, 2020 in Hialeah, Florida. (photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Turns Out, if You Like Your Private Insurance, You Still Can't Keep It
Luke Savage, Jacobin
Excerpt: "Amid spiraling unemployment, a new study finds that 35 million Americans are about to lose their health insurance. Tragically, the coronavirus is making the case for Medicare for All better than any policy paper ever could."
READ MORE

Ayotzinapa. (photo: Alvaro Sánchez/Flickr)

The Search for the Disappeared in Mexico
Madeleine Wattenbarger, NACLA
Wattenbarger writes: "As Mexico's 5th National Search Brigade for Disappeared Persons continues its work, the main obstacle is the state."

EXCERPT:

 
Mexico’s crisis of forced disappearance is a forensic crisis. The official count of disappeared people, since the beginning of the drug war in 2006, is just over 61,000. Given the low rate of reporting, the real number could be 10 times that amount. The pervasive negligence around forced disappearance extends to medical forensic institutions. Currently, around 37,000 unidentified bodies lie in government institutions across the country. Family members of the disappeared have taken on the task of searching for their loved ones. This year’s 5th National Search Brigade brought together nearly 300 family members from collectives all over Mexico. In addition to conducting field searches for human remains, the brigade led workshops in schools, churches, and government institutions.

READ MORE

Scientists testing water in the Arctic for ecology research. (photo: Arnulf Husmo/Getty Images)

Coronavirus Halts Arctic Climate Change Research
Alex Matthews, Deutsche Welle
Matthews writes: "The EastGRIP project is trying to understand how ice streams underneath the glacier are pushing vast amounts of ice into the ocean, and how this contributes to rising sea levels. But this year their drills will be silent. The ice streams will go unmeasured."

very year 150 climate scientists fly far into the wilderness and bore deep into Greenland's largest glacier. Their work is complicated and important. The EastGRIP project is trying to understand how ice streams underneath the glacier are pushing vast amounts of ice into the ocean, and how this contributes to rising sea levels. But this year the drills will be silent. The ice streams will go unmeasured. 

The reason is the coronavirus. The fallout from measures to contain the outbreak have made the research impossible. Greenland is closed to foreigners. Its government is worried any outbreak could be particularly dangerous to its indigenous population and rapidly overwhelm its health services.

Even if the country were open, it just isn't practical to bring an international team of scientists together, 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) away from the nearest airport, in case one of them is sick. The transport planes that normally fly in the teams and resupply them have also been grounded. Nobody wants to be responsible for bringing small, isolated communities into contact with the virus. 

Going Without Results 

The scientists are missing out on a lot. They were hoping to complete the 2,660-meter (8,727-feet) hole they have been drilling for the past five years, and finally access the ice streams they've been hunting for.

"We were actually hoping to reach the bedrock this year, which is super exciting, as we are down where the ice stream flow really is important," explains Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, Professor of Ice, Climate and Earth at the University of Copenhagen and chairperson for EastGRIP's steering committee.

"How does this ice actually flow? That really is what we have been waiting for for five years, what was going to happen this year. All of that has now been put back. We will have to live without the results." 

Damaged Equipment 

When the team returns next year, it's data and understanding they will have lost. Another year of snow will have buried trenches and covered equipment, meaning they will spend more time repairing and replacing buildings and hardware. 

It's a problem faced by Dr Ken Mankoff and the team he works with at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland. They are examining the health of the ice sheets in Greenland and monitoring snowfall. They also have monitoring equipment in the field that could fail if they cannot reach it, leaving gaps in data that has been collected for decades. 

"In the worst-case scenario there will be a 12-month gap," he says. "Some of that data can be filled in with satellites and remote sensing, other parts are unique and will be lost."

Junior Scientists' Careers Affected 

Dahl-Jensen and Mankoff will have to wait until they can return to their respective sites and hope the loss of data won't upset their research too much. For now, both say they are happier remaining at home and keeping themselves, their teams and everyone else they would otherwise encounter safe.

But for younger scientists, those working on research with short-term funding, and those working towards academic qualifications on a timescale, the lack of results is a much bigger problem. The next generation of climate scientists will be affected. 

"There are junior colleagues, and this will have a significant impact on their career if they cannot get the data for the project that they need to do their work," says Mankoff. "My attitude will not be shared by everybody else, and I doubt it is."

Most Productive Time of the Year 

Someone who can relate is Dr Joran Moen, director of the University Center in Svalbard (UCIS) in Norway, the world's northernmost higher education institution. The school was shutdown and fieldwork cancelled, following orders from the Norwegian government. Around 70 students in Svalbard alone will be unable to complete fieldwork contributing to masters degrees or PhDs.

"The transition from March to June is a very important time for operations and for monitoring climate change in the area," he says. "We are in a part of the Arctic with a very dramatic change due to the temperature rapidly changing. It's a very good place to be to see how mankind can influence the climate and the effects of it."

"As for data gaps, the entire international community on Svalbard will have that problem, and of course that will also impact on our research. For students to be missing something like this in their research is a problem." 

Waiting Game 

Moen and the UCIS have made provisions for as much education as possible to continue. Classes have moved online and small, risk-free research trips are still being planned. Dahl-Jensen and Mankoff are waiting to see when they can reach their equipment, and planning how much extra work they may have to do in the snow.

Climate science is also waiting, to see when it will continue, and just how vital the missing data will be. 

READ MORE

---

Contribute to RSN 

Update My Monthly Donation