RSN: John Prine: The Last Days and Beautiful Life of an American Original

17 April 20

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John Prine: The Last Days and Beautiful Life of an American Original

Patrick Doyle, Rolling Stone
Doyle writes: "John Prine's 50-year career had taken him from the folk clubs of Chicago to sold-out venues in London, Australia, and beyond. But as he planned the schedule for the final leg of his Tree of Forgiveness tour, there was still one place he needed to play: Paris." 





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Sen. Marco Rubio speaks with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington as the Senate works to pass a coronavirus relief bill. (photo: Patrick Semansky/AP)

White House Says New Small Business Loan Program Is Out of Money, Leaving Many Firms Grasping for Lifelines
Erica Werner, Aaron Gregg and Renae Merle, The Washington Post
Excerpt: "A new lending program for small businesses maxed out Thursday morning and stopped accepting claims, but a bitterly divided Congress looked unlikely to address that growing problem as the nation plunged into unemployment levels not seen since the Great Depression."
READ MORE

Travelers in Wuhan, China. (photo: AFP)

"Pure Baloney": Zoologist Debunks Trump's COVID-19 Origin Theory, Explains Animal-Human Transmission
Democracy Now!
Excerpt: "With the largest one-day death toll in the U.S. yet - 2,400 in just 24 hours - President Trump is trying to deflect attention from his handling of the pandemic by waging a war on public health experts and science, threatening to cut World Health Organization funding and fueling a theory that the coronavirus came from a lab in Wuhan, China."

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Michelle Caruso-Cabrera at CNBC and Institutional Investor's Delivering Alpha conference on July 18, 2018, in New York City. (photo: Heidi Gutman/Getty)

Wall Street Titans Are Financing a Direct Challenge to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Lee Fang, The Intercept
Fang writes: "Wall Street titans are financing a direct challenge to firebrand progressive lawmaker Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the New York primary on June 23."

Disclosures show that over four dozen finance industry professionals, including several prominent private equity executives and investment bankers, made early donations to Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, a former CNBC contributor who is challenging Ocasio-Cortez. Caruso-Cabrera was a registered Republican until a few years ago and authored a 2010 book advocating for several conservative positions, including an end to Medicare and Social Security, which she called “pyramid schemes.”

The donors include Glenn Hutchins, the billionaire co-founder of Silver Lake Partners; James Passin of Firebird Capital; Bruce Schnitzer of Wand Partners; Jeffrey Rosen of Lazard; and Bradley Seaman, managing partner of Parallel49 Equity. The chief executives of Goldman Sachs, PNC Bank, and Virtu Financial, are also among the Caruso-Cabera donors.

“I met Michelle when she was a business reporter and she is bright and understands the financial markets well,” said Doug Cifu, the chief executive of Virtu Financial, one of the donors who gave $2,800 to Caruso-Cabrera. “Her opponent,” Cifu added, “does not in my view.”

The Caruso-Cabrera campaign announced last week that it had collected nearly $1 million in fundraising over the first quarter of this year. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which is funded by anonymous corporate donations and has spent tens of millions of dollars electing congressional Republicans, also said recently that it would mobilize business interests in support of Caruso-Cabrera.

In her first year in office, Ocasio-Cortez has used her perch in Congress to eviscerate leading figures on Wall Street. During congressional hearings last April, she pushed JPMorgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon over whether bankers should have been criminally prosecuted over the 2008 financial crisis.

“I wasn’t sent here to safeguard and protect profit, I was sent here to safeguard and protect people,” said Ocasio-Cortez in November during a hearing over the conduct of the private equity industry and its role in downsizing companies.

Ocasio-Cortez has served as a lightning rod in the Democratic Party, attracting criticism from more business-friendly elements of the establishment over her outspoken support for Sen. Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign and her advocacy for policies such as Medicare for All.

The lurch towards that left has provoked some traditionally Republican interests, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, to use the New York primary this summer as an opportunity to push back on the ideological shift represented by Ocasio-Cortez.

Kenneth Langone, a billionaire investor and major donor to GOP causes, donated the legal maximum to Caurso-Cabrera.

Steve Holzman, the head of the hedge fund Vantis Capital and a previous donor to Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign, donated to Caruso-Cabrera. Lobbyist Ron Christie, a former aide to Dick Cheney, also gave to the challenger’s campaign.

Other donors include Facundo Bacardi, an heir to the Bacardi fortune; Thaddeus Arroyo, a leading executive at AT&T; and Jeff Kwatinetz, an entertainment industry promoter who has represented Korn and Limp Bizkit in the past.

Ocasio-Cortez released her fundraising numbers, showing that she has brought in over $8 million this election cycle, with $3.5 million in cash on hand.

Caruso-Cabrera does not have a policy page outlining her beliefs or positions on her campaign website. In recent radio interviews, she has positioned herself as a stalwart of the moderate faction of the Democratic Party, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Joe Biden. “I’m pro-choice, I’m pro-same sex marriage, I’m very pro-immigrant, I am centrist for sure,” Caruso-Cabrera said on New York’s AM 970.

But the candidate’s beliefs are explained in detail in a book she authored in 2010 titled, “You Know I’m Right: More Prosperity, Less Government,” which included a forward by Larry Kudlow, who now serves as President Donald Trump’s director of the National Economic Council.

In the book, Caruso-Cabrera calls Medicare and Social Security “the country’s biggest pyramid schemes,” and wrote that she would end both programs in favor of a privatized voucher system. Medicare, Caruso-Cabrera wrote, “is another pay-as-you-go Ponzi scheme” that should be replaced with a health savings account that gives “seniors $1,000 or $2,000 a year to start.” Social Security, she notes, should be replaced with a private account system, in which Americans are incentivized to invest in the stock market.

Caruso-Cabrera devotes an entire chapter to the many policy successes of the Reagan administration, and writes that she favors tax cuts and deregulation, including eliminating entire federal agencies such as the Labor Department.

Some of the most strident language in the book is reserved for the Obama administration’s attempts to crack down on wealthy individuals who had taken advantage of offshore tax havens. The push to force Switzerland to hand over the names of U.S. nationals using secret bank accounts to dodge taxes, she wrote, put America on a “dangerous path” that would enable foreign dictatorships to similarly seize wealth kept abroad.

“Freedom and democracy are best secured when banking secrecy and tax havens exist,” Caruso-Cabrera wrote.

READ MORE

Flag-waving, honking protesters drove past the Michigan Capitol on Wednesday to show their displeasure with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's orders to keep people at home and businesses locked during the COVID-19 outbreak. (photo: Paul Sancya/AP)

Michigan Stay-at-Home Order Prompts Honking, Traffic-Jam Protest
Abigail Censky, NPR
Censky writes: "Several thousand cars flooded the streets around the state Capitol in Lansing, Mich., on Wednesday to protest the governor's extended stay-at-home order. Cars jammed the streets around the Capitol building, filling the air with a cacophony of honking. People draped in American and 'Don't Tread on Me' flags blared 'We're Not Gonna Take It' and 'God Bless The USA' out of car stereos."

EXCERPT: 

The state of Michigan has the third-highest number of COVID-19 cases and one of the most stringent stay-at-home orders. Among other things, it bars landscapers from working and shutters greenhouses and nurseries. 

The new version of the order banned travel between homes and didn't grant exemptions for workers such as landscapers, who politicians argue can work while remaining socially distant. Protesters were also upset that normal life has been shut down all over the state. 

Presently, the governor's stay-at-home order extends through April 30. Since the governor issued the order, there have been more than 28,000 cases of COVID-19 in Michigan. The disease has killed more than 1,900 Michiganders. 

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Ammunition that displaced villagers was fired by the Tatmadaw, in September 2019. (photo: Verena Hoe/Al Jazeera)

Myanmar Military Steps Up Attacks as Coronavirus Spreads
Verena Hoelzl and Cape Diamond, Al Jazeera
Excerpt: "As deaths from the new coronavirus mounted in South Korea, Iran and Italy in early March, Myanmar's military called off grand plans to mark the 75th anniversary of its World War II revolt against Japanese forces."

EXCERPTS:

Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency said it has "observed a sharp upward trend in civilian casualties" since February.

In a statement on March 27, the agency said at least 21 civilians were killed amid clashes on the border between Rakhine and Chin states earlier in March, while an additional 10,000 people were displaced in Rakhine in that period alone. The UN humanitarian office said a total of 70,000 people have been displaced in the fighting between the military and the Arakan Army in the past 12 months, most of them since December last year.

Renewed chaos

Observers say the conflict between the Arakan Army and the military has brought new chaos to the impoverished region from where more than 730,000 Rohingya fled a bloody military crackdown in 2017.

The rising death toll and displacement has prompted concern, with 139 civil society organisations issuing a joint statement on Wednesday, calling for the immediate protection of those who have nothing to do with the fighting.

"The current targeting of innocent civilians in the conflict between the Arakan Army and the Myanmar military amounts to war crimes and must immediately cease," the statement said.

The US State Department also said it "is deeply troubled by the escalating violence in Rakhine and Chin states".

"At a time when everyone needs to work together to fight the coronavirus pandemic, the government of Burma and the Burma Army seem to see the global focus on the pandemic as an opportunity to further crack down on ethnic people," said Naw Htoo Htoo, a spokeswoman for the Karen Peace Support Network.

"Until the international community force the military and the government to pay a price for killing and oppressing our people, they will continue to do so," she said.

READ MORE

South Korean president Moon Jae-in's landslide victory in the country's parliamentary election gives his party a clear mandate to implement its Green New Deal. (photo: Jon Han/Republic of Korea)

South Korea to Implement Green New Deal After Ruling Party Election Win
Chloé Farand, Climate Home News
Farand writes: "South Korea is on track to set a 2050 carbon neutrality goal and end coal financing after its ruling Democratic Party won an absolute majority in the country's parliamentary elections on Wednesday."
READ MORE

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The Trump administration paid a bankrupt company with zero employees $55 million for N95 masks, which it's never manufactured

A Democrat in the Wilderness

No surprise...

FEMA told Insider it "does not enter into contracts unless it has reason to believe they will be successfully executed."

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The Trump administration paid a bankrupt company with zero employees $55 million for N95 masks, which it's…

FEMA told Insi

• The Trump administration has awarded a $55 million contract for N95 masks to a company with no experience producing medical supplies and whose parent company filed for bankruptcy protection last year.
• The Federal Emergency Management Agency told Insider that the company, Panthera, is scheduled to deliver the masks on April 23.
• Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told The Washington Post that something was "amiss" about this order.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people cover their mouth and nose with a cloth when they're around others but says to "not use a facemask meant for a healthcare worker."

The coronavirus pandemic has created a desperate clamber for vital medical supplies, like N95 masks, that has led the federal government to award massive contracts to third-party vendors to help fill the gaps.

In this chaotic effort to obtain supplies, the Trump administration paid $55 million to Panthera Worldwide LLC, a company with no expertise in the world of medical equipment, for N95 masks, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

Panthera's parent company filed for bankruptcy protection last fall, and one of its owners last year said it'd had no employees since May 2018, The Post reported, citing sworn testimony. It's no longer listed as an LLC in Virginia, where its main office is, after fees went unpaid, the newspaper said.

Panthera, which describes itself as a tactical training company for the US military and other government agencies, has no record of producing medical supplies or equipment, The Post said.

Read more: Morgan Stanley just released a comprehensive timeline of the coronavirus outbreak. Here's when analysts think the US will increase testing, get a vaccine, and finally return to work.

The company's website says it "provides elite, scenario-based tactical, aviation and intelligence training and instruction for Defense Department, State Department, Federal Agency and Law Enforcement teams who operate in sensitive environments worldwide, to enable those teams to meet their mission goals and requirements."

Panthera's executives are being sued by a Virginia businessman who leased the company's primary asset, a training facility in West Virginia, The Post reported.

James V. Punelli, one of Panthera's executives, told The Post that the company was working with military contacts to obtain the masks.

"We've done [Department of Defense] medical training over the years and through those contacts with that community were brought sources of supply in order to assist in the COVID-19 response," Punelli said in a text message to The Post. "We made the connection with FEMA and offered these supplies to them."

"We will provide these masks before May 1 for certain, in full and with a very high-quality product," Punelli said, adding that the company is registered as an LLC in Delaware.

The Post reported that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was paying Panthera about $5.50 per mask, decidedly more than what the government pays companies with an established background in producing medical supplies such as 3M, which charges about $0.63 per mask.

Chuck Hagel, a former defense secretary, told The Post something was "amiss" about this order. "This is not how the government procures training or any type of supplies," he said. "You just wouldn't do business with somebody like that."

A FEMA representative told Insider that there was nothing in the standard background checks conducted in relation to government contracts that indicated Panthera "isn't responsible."

"As with any contract, FEMA is bound by law to follow Federal Acquisition requirements and processes. Per these Federal Acquisition requirements and processes, the Contracting Officer conducted a contractor responsibility determination. The Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) was examined and Panthera met the necessary requirements. The company did not appear on the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS)," FEMA said, adding that a review did not find Panthera showing "any delinquent federal tax (of more than $3,500) in the last three years."

"FEMA does not enter into contracts unless it has reason to believe they will be successfully executed. The required review led us to conclude that Panthera would able to deliver on their contract," the representative said. "As with any contract if the company cannot deliver or delivers sub-standard product, the agency can use legal means against a company."

The representative said that the ordered equipment hadn't arrived yet but that Panthera had provided written confirmation that the masks were in the shipping phase of delivery. The delivery is scheduled for April 23.

Since mid-March, the government has purchased more than $600 million worth of masks, according to The Post.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people cover their mouth and nose with a cloth when they're around others but says to "not use a facemask meant for a healthcare worker."

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said this week that residents in New York, which has been hit hardest by the coronavirus outbreak in the US, will be required to wear masks or face coverings in public when it's not possible to follow social-distancing guidelines.

SEE ALSO: The US is 'not a global power' thanks to Trump's disastrous coronavirus response as China fills the void, former US officials warn

DON'T MISS: Trump's plans to cut WHO funding amid the coronavirus could exacerbate the crisis and cost more American lives

LINK

The devastating health impacts of coronavirus have been compounded by economic anxieties associated with healthcare costs. Patients fighting for their lives are sometimes more worried about affording care than staying focused only on battling COVID-19. A nurse in New York City told CNN that she treated a patient about to be placed on a ventilator whose last words were: "Who's going to pay for it?" This man was in severe respiratory distress and yet his main concern was the cost of a potentially life-saving procedure. We need to do more to make healthcare affordable and accessible. Trump has the chance to take one simple action that could make millions of lives better: He could open a special enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act to give uninsured Americans access to coverage in the wake of this crisis. Will you join me in calling on the President to put politics aside and re-open ACA enrollment, so millions of Americans can access the healthcare they need during this crisis? For many Americans, the impact of a lost job, a staggering hospital bill, or even a deceased loved one will be felt by them and their families for years to come. The last thing any American should have to worry about right now is having healthcare. Will you join me in calling on President Trump to put the people first and re-open ACA enrollment? Thank you, -- David

Democrat David Cicilline proudly represents Rhode Island's 1st Congressional District. An advocate for LGBTQ rights, a leader on gun violence prevention, and a fighter for Rhode Island families — David is one of our fiercest legislators in the Trump Era. Our campaign is powered by supporters like you. Your grassroots support is critical to helping David's campaign for Rhode Island's 1st District.

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