usa: 200.000 dead — campogeno

Trump knew  and didn’t care.  His voters believed him.  Trump lied and 200.00 americans died. Vote to live, and don’t vote for a killer!

usa: 200.000 dead — campogeno

Chad Wolf Finally Had a Nomination Hearing—10 Months Too Late

2020-09-23-chadwolfnomination.jpg?w=1200

Chad Wolf, the acting Homeland Security secretary who has presided over a slew of controversies this year, struck a defiant pose at his long-anticipated nomination hearing before a Senate committee Wednesday morning, calling news reports about DHS contracts heading to his wife’s company “fabricated” and a whistleblower’s allegation that he and other agency leaders squashed intelligence memos detailing Russian attacks on the upcoming election “patently false.”

Since Wolf assumed his post in November, DHS has sent camo-wearing agents to face off against anti-racist protesters in Portland, faced allegations of forcing hysterectomies on women in a Georgia immigration detention center, and been accused of withholding the release of an intelligence report warning of foreign plots against Joe Biden. He came under additional fire last month when the Government Accountability Office determined that Wolf was appointed acting secretary as a result of an “invalid order of succession.”  (DHS, which encompasses US Customs and Border Protection, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Transportation Security Administration, hasn’t had a confirmed leader since Kirstjen Nielsen left the job in April 2019.)

Here are some additional highlights from Wolf’s relatively brief hearing:

  • On allegations Wolf modified intelligence reports: Michigan Democrat Gary Peters questioned Wolf on why the department withheld information from a July intelligence report warning of Russian misinformation plots against the Biden campaign. Wolf denied that his actions to delay the release of the report were politically motivated and said he simply didn’t think the report was up to his standards—he held it back from the public until the “quality” was “improved” in September. “Does it normally take close to two months for you to bring a two-page report up to the quality standards that you think are necessary?” Peters asked. “No, it doesn’t,” Wolf said, pointing to leadership changes in that office that may have caused delays. Peters then noted it was “curious that the report was only issued after news broke about it.” 
  • On contracts given to wife’s firm: Hours before the hearing, NBC News reported that DHS gave more than $6 million in contracts to a consulting firm where Wolf’s wife is an executive. Wolf told the committee that he had “just found out about it last night when the media inquiry came in,” and that he had no role in procurement of DHS contracts.
  • On whistleblower allegations of forced hysterectomies in ICE custody: Wolf said the DHS Office of Inspector General already has “individuals at the facility in Georgia” and he “look forward to that investigation.” He called the whistleblower’s claims into question, saying that some of the “most dramatic allegations” are just allegations. “But if there is a kernel of truth to any of that, you can guarantee that I will hold those responsible accountable.” 
  • On white supremacists: Peters asked Wolf to confirm that the department believes white supremacist violence to be the “most deadly threat facing our nation today” domestically. Wolf said that “racially and ethnically motivated individuals and certainly white supremacist extremist, from a lethality standpoint,” especially in 2018 and 2019, “are certainly the most persistent and lethal threat when we talk about domestic violence extremist.”
  • On family separation: Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) read a 2017 memo written by Wolf to Nielsen in which he outlined ideas for “what she can do right away” at the US-Mexico border. Family separation was the second item on the list. As Nielsen’s chief of staff, Rosen said, Wolf suggested that the agency separate parents from their children at the border and reclassify the kids as unaccompanied minors when they took them into custody separately. “But those children were not actually unaccompanied, were they, Mr. Wolf? They were part of a family unit.” Wolf said “unaccompanied” was a legal term and then deflected. 
  • On speedy deportations without due process: Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) asked Wolf to explain why migrants who are placed in two expedited-deportation programs are not able to access legal counsel or connect with any legal-representation services. Wolf pushed back, saying the agency “makes sure” they have access to counsel and have “their due-process rights.” But as Sinema pointed out, the agency is rushing migrants through their initial asylum screenings and quickly deporting them: Out of more than 2,000 people in one of the programs, only 13 had legal representation, and only 18 of over 2,700 cases in another speedy deportation program had a legal representation. “So there’s clearly a lot of work that we have yet to do here,” Sinema said.

The Democratic pushback against Wolf’s confirmation has been intense. New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, for example, called Wolf “an awful choice.” The Congressional Hispanic Caucus sent a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Ron Johnson, the Senate committee chairman, on Tuesday to note their “firm opposition” to his nomination, arguing Wolf’s tenure “proves he is unfit to serve” as DHS secretary. “His record shows a consistent failure to effectively manage the agency, a pattern of issuing inaccurate or misleading statement, and enacting some of the most disturbing immigration polices in our countries history.”

And Rep. Bennie Thomson (D-Miss.), the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, also sent a letter to Johnson ahead of the hearing, expressing opposition to Wolf’s nomination. “I want to share my serious concerns regarding Mr. Wolf’s repeated failure to comply with Constitutional mandated oversight during this tenure” and “urge you in the strongest possible terms to oppose his nomination.” 

Watchdog to feds: Do more to blunt COVID-19 harms | CIDRAP

Source: Watchdog to feds: Do more to blunt COVID-19 harms | CIDRAP

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) this week recommended 16 federal actions to shore up the US response to the country’s ongoing COVID-19–related “catastrophic loss of life and profound economic disruption.”

While noting that the federal government has extended more than $1.5 trillion of the $1.6 trillion earmarked for economic assistance to families, local public health systems, and private businesses, the GAO’s Sep 21 report calls for the government and Congress to take additional steps as the country—already beleaguered by the coronavirus—also faces fall’s hurricane and flu seasons.

The recommendations center on collecting reliable data to support decision making, establishing protocols for accountability and transparency, and preventing the hacking of patient information, intellectual property, public health data, and intelligence.

“If implemented, those suggestions have the potential to significantly improve the nation’s response to the current pandemic as well as strengthen preparations for future public health emergencies,” Gene Dodaro, head of the GAO, said in a GAO news release.

Patriot Coalition: Leaked Messages Show Far-Right Group’s Plans for Portland Violence – bellingcat

Source: Patriot Coalition: Leaked Messages Show Far-Right Group’s Plans for Portland Violence – bellingcat

Bellingcat has acquired several months of chat logs from the Patriot Coalition of Oregon, a network of pro-Trump, pro-police activists. These chat logs were provided by an infiltrator affiliated with the antifascist collective Eugene Antifa. We were also given login information for the infiltrator’s account on GroupMe, a secure messaging app owned by Microsoft. This allowed us to directly observe the group’s communications, to verify the information provided to us and to export a log of those chats directly from the application. (Many posts contain spelling and grammatical errors, which we have not altered.)

These logs provide an intimate look inside a growing insurgent network, and shed new light on episodes of armed conflict which are already on the public record. Topics of conversation include plans for violence in the streets of Portland, celebration of acts of thuggery and even discussions about harming elected leaders and journalists. More than anything, the chats catalog the rapid radicalization of Patriot Coalition’s membership, many of whom express a willingness to kill their perceived left-wing enemies.

Revealed: pro-Trump activists plotted violence ahead of Portland rallies | World news | The Guardian

Source: Revealed: pro-Trump activists plotted violence ahead of Portland rallies | World news | The Guardian

Leaked chat logs show Portland-area pro-Trump activists planning and training for violence, sourcing arms and ammunition and even suggesting political assassinations ahead of a series of contentious rallies in the Oregon city, including one scheduled for this weekend.

When Netanyahu and Gantz’s indecisiveness kills – analysis – The Jerusalem Post

Source: When Netanyahu and Gantz’s indecisiveness kills – analysis – The Jerusalem Post

they conducted two days of marathon debates in the coronavirus cabinet that were mostly devoted to the questions of whether to close down synagogues and political demonstrations.
Those who wanted to close down one and not the other dug in their heels and issued threats, while those who wanted to compromise were drowned out by their louder counterparts at the extremes.
Netanyahu’s endgame was so unclear that Blue and White ministers had to keep asking him what it was. Gantz tried to sway the conversation away from the protests unsuccessfully and apparently unconvincingly.
Instead, the ministers will continue bickering, and lives will continue to be lost.
There is a time for leadership, when indecisiveness kills. This is that time.

Second Look Behind the Headlines – News you can use…

Baldacchino di Perla

"Luce di parole, ombra di sogni."

Northern Desert Photography

Living on the Edge of the Sagebrush Ocean

Susana Cabaço

Spiritual Insights & Personal Empowerment

Barbara Picci

Artist & Art Blogger

craft journey

Furnicraft, woodwork, and art

musings corner

reveries and rants

Japão para Românticos

Bem Vindos a este espaço onde compartilhamos um pouco da realidade do Japão à todos aqueles que desejam visitar ou morar no Japão. Aqui neste espaço, mostramos a realidade do Japão e dos imigrantes. O nosso compromisso é com a realidade. Fique por dentro do noticiário dos principais jornais japoneses, tutoriais de Faça você mesmo no Japão e acompanhe a Série Histórias de Imigrantes no Japão. Esperamos que goste de nossos conteúdos, deixe seu like, seu comentário, compartilhe e nos ajudar você e à outras pessoas. Grande abraço, gratidão e volte sempre!

Leben als Mensch

Willkommen auf Elke´s Glücks-Blog

Sharpshot Nature .Com

- Specializing in the great outdoors, capturing nature at its finest!

Diane Ravitch's blog

A site to discuss education and democracy

Expansão e Percepção

Seu Guia de Inspirações e Reflexões Diárias

noga noga.

my-health-and-beauty.com/

Uğurcan'ın Ütopyası

Benim Gezegenime Hoş geldiniz !!!

AKILS

Blog de viajes y lugares

Ed Mooney Photography

The official blog of Ed Mooney Photography. Dad of 3, Photographer, Blogger, Powerlifter. Exploring the historical sites of Ireland.

everything Explored on the earth

It has new aidias,news, about education , motivation, social, historical, culture, marketing creation new aidias education of language science culture and history

Born to die

L'unico modo sensato di vivere è senza regole

Early Morning Memories

by Anuran (A) & Sayoni (S)

My thoughts

Fun for the Brain

Neo Vision College

An exemplary learning community.

Anthony’s Crazy Love and Life Lessons in Empathy

Loves, lamentation, and life through prose, stories, passions, and essays.

Episodic Squalid Rants

public tantrums by a non-two-year-old

The Street Art Directory

Public, street and urban art worldwide

Artie & Stu

all the rules of free form

Everyone read that they fell in love first

<script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-2937106805202763" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>

davidscottmoyer

Lapsed Painter, Occasional Photographer, Compulsive Writer

Health & Fitness

Health Blogs

Buildings Tell Tales

Exploring the hidden architectural heritage of Budapest

Divit kalem

Yaşamdan

Roy's Weblog

The third incarnation...

Thought Pukes

More than a thought less than a question

"بوصلة الحياة"

"بوصلة الحياة: مدونة متعددة المجالات، من السياسة إلى الرومانسية، ومن تطوير الذات إلى الأدب وأكثر!" بقلم مشاعر بنت عبدالرحمن

parallax

The view from here ... Or here!

ClearingSpace4Joy

Bringer and seeker of joy

Belladonna’s Flashlight

The One Where She Stumbled Through Her 40's and Faced Her Demons

~ Trivial Music Silliness ~

Baw wit da baw. Just sayin'.

mo mnsoor blog

Website storys

Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss

Welcome to the Anglo Swiss World

gnaddrig ad libitum

Querbeet und ohne Gewähr

Peace & Truth

KINDNESS IS FREE, sprinkle it all over the world, and 😁 smile

Ética de la vida diaria

Nuestra ética de todos los días...

Elizabeth Gauffreau

Fiction Writer in Poet's Clothing