The Abbott of Death – Lawyers, Guns & Money

It’s worth recalling that Greg Abbott literally forbade local governments from instituting mask ordinances when cases began to spike. He wasn’t just indifferent, he took proactive measures to ensure that as many people got sick and died as possible. He did at least retreat while DeSantis has plowed ahead, but it was way too late.

Source: The Abbott of Death – Lawyers, Guns & Money

People Flying Into NY From High Infection States Now Required To Provide Information Or Face Penalties – Gothamist

All travelers flying into airports in New York state will now have to fill out a form providing contact and itinerary information or face a $2,000 fine, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday.

Source: People Flying Into NY From High Infection States Now Required To Provide Information Or Face Penalties – Gothamist

Prison CEOs Say They Had No Clue Guards Pepper-Sprayed Hundreds of Immigration Detainees

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Private prison executives claimed at a congressional hearing Monday to be unaware of any recent instances of guards pepper-spraying immigration detainees at the facilities they run. It was a shocking claim: Detainees have been pepper-sprayed on more than a dozen occasions since late March, and Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s own press office has confirmed many of the incidents the CEOs say they know nothing about. 

Monday’s hearing focused on the often abysmal conditions in for-profit immigration detention centers during the coronavirus pandemic. One question from Rep. Donald Payne (D-N.J.) to four executives testifying virtually was hard to misinterpret. “So no one is aware of any time that rubber bullets, or pepper spray, or tear gas has been used by officers at your facilities against detainees since the COVID-19 pandemic?” he asked. “Are you all categorically denying it?”

In response, CoreCivic CEO Damon Hininger, Management and Training Corporation CEO Scott Marquardt, and LaSalle Corrections executive director Rodney Cooper said they were aware of no such incidents. GEO Group CEO George Zoley said he was aware of one incident in California. 

Here’s the video of Rep. Payne asking about uses of pepper spray, tear gas, and rubber bullets. pic.twitter.com/zJ1DC402Ol

— Noah Lanard (@nlanard) July 13, 2020

In reality, people at CoreCivic facilities have been pepper-sprayed on at least four occasions. At LaSalle, it’s happened on at least five occasions. And at GEO Group detention centers, the total is also at least five. Hundreds of immigrants and asylum seekers have been exposed to pepper spray during those uses of force. There have been no recent documented cases of pepper spray at Management and Training Corporation centers. (All of these companies have contracts with ICE, which pays them to house immigration detainees at their facilities.)

I’ve broken the news of several uses of pepper spray at for-profit ICE detention centers in recent months. In one case, guards at a GEO Group detention center in Louisiana left nearly 80 women trapped in a pepper spray-filled dorm after a COVID-19 briefing.

Later in the hearing, Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.), the chair of a border security subcommittee, asked Hininger of CoreCivic to address the fact that one of his own spokespeople confirmed that pepper spray was used against detainees at a CoreCivic detention center in New Mexico.

Hininger said he misunderstood Payne’s question and confirmed that pepper spray was used at the Torrance detention center. He didn’t mention other incidents in Arizona and Georgia. 

Pennsylvania Police Officers Under Investigation After Videos Shows Them Placing Knee on Man’s Neck

Seems as though they are running on automatic and should be checking themselves – all involved not just the officer with the wrongly placed knee. tr1kmj0dhmqyvg8ex4yh.png

One would think that literally everything that has occurred over the course of the last few months would result in police officers actively trying to not become the center of yet another viral video. But we’re in dark times, so common sense is out the window, and instead, we have to watch both white folks and law…

Read more…

Newsom: More California counties must roll back reopening – Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles is one of the counties that will be subject to the new restrictions against indoor gatherings and services, as will all other Southern California counties, other than San Luis Obispo.

The move further pushes Californians back inside during a time typically marked by summer vacations. The stricter measures to close gyms, churches and other services are targeted at some of the most populous regions in the state, where 80% of California residents live.

 

Source: Newsom: More California counties must roll back reopening – Los Angeles Times

Israelis were told to ‘have fun’ after lockdowns eased. Now they’re facing a coronavirus COVID-19 second wave – ABC News

“Return to normal — get a cup of coffee and a glass of beer.”

That was what Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told citizens when he eased the country’s coronavirus restrictions in late May.

(Should have listened to scientists not politico)

Source: Israelis were told to ‘have fun’ after lockdowns eased. Now they’re facing a coronavirus COVID-19 second wave – ABC News