Steve Linick: State Department official investigating Pompeo is fired | US news | The Guardian

According to a Democratic congressional aide, just before his abrupt dismissal Linick had opened an investigation into allegations that Pompeo had been using a political appointee at the state department to run personal errands for him and his wife, Susan.

Source: Steve Linick: State Department official investigating Pompeo is fired | US news | The Guardian

Invisible deaths: from nursing homes to prisons, the corona toll is out of sight – and out of mind? | US news | The Guardian

The segregation of Covid deaths out of town and behind locked doors, where most Americans cannot see them, has provided a political boon for Donald Trump. It has allowed the president to downplay the significance of the virus for weeks on end, pushing for the reopening of the economy even though it risks the lives of tens of thousands of largely poor and black and Latino citizens.

That phenomenon was on full display this week when Trump scolded his top infectious diseases official, Dr Anthony Fauci, for saying opening up the country could risk a spike of new infections. Trump said of Fauci’s science-based, factual remark: “To me, it’s not an acceptable answer” – a claim he could never have got away with had the human costs of Covid-19 been more visible.

Source: Invisible deaths: from nursing homes to prisons, the corona toll is out of sight – and out of mind? | US news | The Guardian

The US Senate voted to let Trump spy on your search history. But all is not lost | Trevor Timm

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The amendment, which 10 Democrats voted in favor of, can still be fought against. And we must

In a shameful vote this week as part of an extension of the dreaded and controversial Patriot Act, the Senate handed William Barr and the Trump administration the ability to spy on Americans’ web browsing and internet search histories without a warrant.

The vote on a bipartisan amendment to protect this information from government surveillance sparked immediate outrage online – and deservedly so. Our web browsing and search histories contain the most intimate personal information. Any administration – let alone the draconian Trump justice department – should be required to comply with the fourth amendment before trawling through it.

Continue reading…

113-year-old coronavirus survivor: ‘The elderly are the forgotten ones of society’ | World news | The Guardian

“This pandemic has revealed that older people are the forgotten ones of our society,” she said in an interview with the Observer. “They fought their whole lives, sacrificed time and their dreams for today’s quality of life. They didn’t deserve to leave the world in this way.”

Branyas offered solutions. “It’s as though those of us who choose to live in a care home have disappeared from society,” she said. “Governments need to pay attention and provide funding and qualified staff in care homes. And, above all, they need to provide much more healthcare in homes.”

Source: 113-year-old coronavirus survivor: ‘The elderly are the forgotten ones of society’ | World news | The Guardian

 

The President Says He “Can’t Get Enough” of His Supporters Harassing the Press

what is it about having your thumb up your butt and thumbing your nose at so-called elites that makes it ok for your elders to needlessly die?

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On Thursday, Kevin Vesey, a TV reporter for News12 Long Island, visited a local protest against the remaining restrictions put in place by New York to stem the spread of the coronavirus, filing a studiously restrained segment for broadcast.

But on Twitter, he decided to share a small piece of raw footage showing how he was harassed by the demonstrators as he went about his job of capturing their demands and relaying them to a wider audience. The footage circulated widely among journalists on Thursday and Friday, often accompanied by laments about the protesters’ targeting of Vesey. In under a minute, the video captures him being called “traitor,” “hack,” “disgusting,””the enemy of the people,” and, inevitably, “fake news.” All are, of course, phrases President Donald Trump has deployed against journalists who cover his administration.

“FAKE NEWS IS NOT ESSENTIAL!”https://t.co/5286zgRVWQ

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 16, 2020

On Friday night, the President himself retweeted the video, mimicking a chant the protestors had shouted: “Fake news is nonessential.” On Saturday morning, he retweeted it again, endorsing his supporters’ harassment by calling them “great people” and claiming that “people can’t get enough of this.” 

Vesey shared the footage with his Twitter followers because it made him alarmed. Trump shared the footage with his Twitter followers because it made him proud.