Thursday, May 14, 2020

Op-Ed: Wisconsin Is Better Than This


In April, State Senator Scott Fitzgerald and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos teamed up with a majority of the Wisconsin Supreme Court to make a historically bad decision.  Seeking a political advantage, they forced Wisconsinites to choose between exercising their right to vote and their health. That decision to overrule the Governor's plan to postpone the spring election certainly caused further spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Yesterday, the same forces teamed up to do something even more dangerous. They overturned Governor Evers' "Safer at Home" order, which had been working well to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our state. They did it without an alternate plan, and without any goal other than to make Wisconsin un-governable. WISDOM has supported the "Safer at Home" order, and we sincerely hope that our members and our congregations will show better judgement and more respect for human life than the segment of our political leadership that prevailed yesterday.

We urge the Governor to continue to lead boldly.  While opponents of public health have temporarily seized control of the legislature and Supreme Court, the Governor needs to know that the court of public opinion is squarely with him on the side of common sense and safety.

While WISDOM has applauded the general efforts of Governor Evers to safeguard public health, we are deeply disappointed that the Governor has not used the same good judgement when dealing with the grave danger being faced by the people who live and work in Wisconsin prisons.

The highly-respected, bi-partisan Legislative Reference Bureau recently released a report about the possibility of reducing the prison population in response to the COVID-19 threat. The report, which you can download here, makes it very clear that the Governor has the authority to commute the sentences of people in prison, to grant pardons, and even to grant furloughs to people in prison. He does not need the legislature or the Supreme Court in order to safely and quickly move at least 25% of people out of our state prisons, starting with the elderly, the sick, and those who would be coming home soon anyway.

We ask the Governor not to show the kind of disregard for the lives and well-being of the men and women in our prisons that his political opponents have shown for the rest of the state.  We live in dangerous, unprecedented times, and we need our Governor to act boldly in defense of the lives and health of EVERY person in Wisconsin.

Manhattan Borough President to Host Virtual Town Hall on Need for Social Workers in Schools

 
On May 15 at 3:30 pm, Borough President Gale A. Brewer will moderate a town hall on the need for at least one social worker in every school. The virtual town hall is co-hosted by New York University's McSilver Institute and The Greater New York Chapter of The Links.

"As we prepare to safely re-open our schools and address the pandemic's traumatic impact, we must take our students' social and emotional development seriously by providing social workers to every student in need," said Brewer.

Panelists will include Council Member Mark Treyger, Chair of the NYC Council’s Education Committee, Jasmin Berrios, LCSW at the Partnership with Children, David Garza, President of the Henry Street Settlement, Hilary Kopple, LCSW, and Dr. Michael Lindsey, Executive Director of NYU’s McSilver Institute.

Click here to register.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer: From The G-Man's 'Leader of the Week'

 
From The G-Man has selected Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer as its very first "Leader of the Week" because of the courage and strength she's displayed not only during the Covid-19 crisis, but in the wake of direct attacks by political opponents, anti-lockdown protesters and intimidation efforts by clown-ass militia members.

From The G-Man has a message for those who believe women aren't capable of meeting the personal and/or political challenges often faced by men in similar positions of power. Take a long and hard look at Governor Whitmer. You might learn something about the importance of compassion, common sense, diplomacy and how true power must and should be wielded. Without question, an enormous spotlight will be placed on her in 2024. You heard it hear, first, ladies and gentlemen. 

Incidentally, this independent news and information site sends a huge shout-out to the group of armed Black men and women who escorted Michigan lawmakers into the state capitol after threats were made on their lives. You showed the country that many gun-owners can and do act responsibly and respect the rule of law. You are the true patriots!

Whistleblower Rick Bright Testifies Before House Panel


CBS News: Dr. Rick Bright, a top government virologist who was working on combating COVID-19, plans to tell lawmakers Thursday that he was "involuntarily transferred to a more limited and less impactful position at the National Institutes of Health," and that this personnel move was retaliatory.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Provide Update on COVID-19 Response


Global News: During Thursday's COVID-19 briefing, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson are expected to announce a plan to begin a gradual reopening of federal parks and historic sites across the country.

The plan will involve some 38 parks and 171 historic sites, including lighthouses, forts, canals and monuments, that are administered by Parks Canada.

Federal ministers and chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam are later expected to provide an update on COVID-19 cases in the country.

During Wednesday's briefing, Trudeau announced the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) as part of a $9-billion aid package for struggling students on April 22.


From The G-Man: Prime Minister Trudeau's update begins at the 1:17:37 mark. 

N.Y.C. Commissioner Denies Racial Bias in Social Distancing Policing


The New York Times: Dermot F. Shea acknowledged racial disparities in the enforcement of pandemic-related rules but said they did not stem from “racist policing.”

Click here for the report. 

Nursing Homes Are Hot Spots in the Crisis. But Don’t Try Suing Them.

 
The New York Times: In New York, 5,300 nursing home residents have died of Covid-19. The nursing home lobby pressed for a provision that makes it hard for their families to sue.

Click here for the report. 

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Gov. Cuomo Holds a Briefing on the Coronavirus Outbreak


CNBC Television: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo holds his daily press conference on the Covid-19 outbreak, which has infected more than 338,485 people across the state, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Cuomo is working toward reopening regions in the state as hospitalizations and infections from Covid-19 continue to decline. Three areas in upstate New York — the Finger Lakes, the Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley — are ready to move into phase one of the state's reopening plan, he said on Monday.

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

NYC District Attorneys Vow Not to Prosecute Social Distancing Arrests


The Daily Mail: This comes after violent confrontations between cops and New Yorkers have been caught on video and gone viral. 

Click here for the report. 

Manhattan Faces a Reckoning if Working From Home Becomes the Norm


The New York Times: Companies are re-evaluating the need for all workers to come to offices. Their decisions will affect an entire ecosystem, from transit to restaurants to shops.

Click here for the report. 

Lawmakers Call for Independent Probe of Covid-19 Crisis at N.Y. Nursing Homes

 
By Tom Precious

ALBANY – As state lawmakers look to hold public hearings into the high rates of Covid-19 deaths at New York nursing homes, the influential chairman of the Assembly health committee believes an independent counsel is also needed as part of a probe of both nursing homes and the state government.

Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, a Manhattan Democrat and longtime chairman of the health panel that has jurisdiction over the state Health Department, said the approach employed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to examine the nursing home deaths needs to be re-examined by the Democratic governor.

With New York under fire by residents’ families and health care advocates for the large number of Covid-19 nursing home deaths, Cuomo last month said Attorney General Letitia James and the state Health Department would lead the investigation into what happened.

But Gottfried noted two problems with that approach.

Click here for the full report.

Source: The Buffalo News 

Monday, May 11, 2020

New York Will No Longer Require Nursing Homes to Take COVID-19 Patients from Hospitals

 
NBC News: Gov. Andrew Cuomo's announcement follows criticism of an earlier policy mandating that nursing homes admit residents regardless of their COVID-19 status.

Click here for the report. 
 

A Woman Died of Covid-19 in a New Jersey Prison After Begging to Be Let Out of a Locked Shower

Tiffany Mofield

By

A 43-year-old woman died of coronavirus complications in a New Jersey prison after officials moved her from an area of the prison where she was quarantined for Covid-19 symptoms into solitary confinement even though her symptoms persisted.

Tiffany Mofield died on April 29 at the troubled Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women after begging to be let out of a locked shower, saying “she could not breathe,” a fellow incarcerated woman who witnessed her death told The Intercept. Mofield had spent about two weeks quarantined in an infirmary after becoming ill with symptoms consistent with Covid-19, but she was moved out even though “she was clearly not better, as she was visibly short of breath and extremely lethargic,” said Michelle Angelina, who is housed in the same administrative segregation unit where Mofield died.

“She died right in front of my neighbor’s door and just diagonally from my door, about five feet away,” said Angelina, who declined The Intercept’s offer for anonymity to protect her from retaliation. “Many inmates are frightened for our lives and safety as a result of us witnessing Ms. Mofield die.”

Click here for the full report.

Source: The Intercept_

Supreme Court Oral Argument on Religious Organization Employees & Discrimination Claims


C-SPAN: The Supreme Court hears oral argument via teleconference due to the coronavirus pandemic. The case involves religious freedom and whether federal courts have a role in discrimination cases filed by employees employed by a religious institution.

Click here for the audio. 

Cuomo Preps Parts of Upstate New York for May 15 Reopening as Coronavirus Death Toll Dips to 161

Governor Andrew Cuomo

The New York Daily News: Even as he warned that little will change in NYC or the immediate suburbs, Cuomo suggested that some regions will likely meet a seven-point checklist of conditions needed to allow easing of restrictions.

Click here for the report.