Today marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day in the US, marking the day in 1970 when hundreds of thousands of activists converged on Washington DC to demand action to save the environment. That movement resulted in the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and other governmental agencies aimed at protecting the environment. Fifty years later, huge actions planned for Washington DC and other cities had to be cancelled – although virtual rallies are taking place around the world to honor the earth on this day.
The Swedish teenager who founded the climate strike movement two years ago, Greta Thunberg, pointed out that this pandemic has forced the world to a halt, while the climate crisis should be treated with the same urgency. In a livestream aired this morning, she noted the importance of listening to scientists - whether in the coronavirus crisis or the climate crisis.
In the latest coronavirus news, there are now two point six million cases worldwide, with over one hundred eighty thousand people having died from the virus. In the US, more than 800,000 people have tested positive – and 40,000 have died.
This morning, Trump tweeted that he has instructed the U.S. Navy to quote "shoot down and destroy" any Iranian vessels that "harass" American warships in the Persian Gulf.
The threat of war with Iran has been slammed by Trump’s critics as an attempt to distract from the president's abysmal response to the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
The US sanctions on Iran, which were increased in early March, have devastated the country’s economy and made it extremely difficult for Iran to fight the pandemic.
Meanwhile, in the US, voting rights advocates have demanded the expansion of voting-by-mail, after as Wisconsin health officials announced today that nearly 20 new cases of the coronavirus were linked to the in-person voting that took place in the state on April 7th.
Wisconsin’s legislature had called for a postponement of the primary and an expansion of mail-in voting, but the extension was overturned a day before the primary by the US Supreme Court.
Watchdog groups and healthcare advocates are raising serious concerns about conflicts of interest and corporate profiteering after the Trump White House tapped UnitedHealth Group—the largest private health insurer in the U.S.—to help distribute billions of dollars in taxpayer funds to hospitals struggling to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Employees at the US Department of Health and Human Services have told reporters they were shocked that the Trump administration handed over the administration of hospital relief money to a private company.
The Department, which works directly with every hospital in the country, had thought they would be distributing the funds.
Now a company chosen by Trump, United Health, will be distributing the emergency money to hospitals with no public oversight or accountability.
Wendell Potter, with Medicare for All Now, said that this move means that America's largest health insurer has yet another way to profit off the pandemic.
As the twelve hundred dollar per taxpayer payment has been rolled out, the number of those excluded from the one-time payment continues to increase.
The Los Angeles Times on Monday uncovered the fact that millions of U.S. citizens are being excluded from the stimulus payment because they married an immigrant.
The block means that not only will the adult in the mixed status home not be eligible for their $1,200 check but the household itself will also not receive a $500 per child payment that was part of the CARES Act.
The American Civil Liberties Union called this a deliberately cruel carve-out from the stimulus payments.
Meanwhile, the New York Times reported that President Donald Trump's family business—from which he has refused to divest—is seeking rent relief for his infamous D.C. hotel from his own administration.
He has also sought rent relief for his closed golf courses in Florida.
The CARES Act passed by Congress had to specifically include a provision excluding Trump’s family businesses from seeking funding to pad his own pocket – due to Trump’s past behavior. But he is seeking to maneuver around the exclusion in order to get money for himself out of the stimulus bill passed by Congress.
A reminder to all our listeners that the Governors of Oregon and Washington have issued executive orders for all residents to stay home unless doing essential work or going out to make essential purchases. This helps slow the spread of this virus, and appears to be working in both states – as long as people continue to follow the orders to remain home and stay separated from other people.
- KBOO