Jails and Prisons Will Be Ground Zero for COVID-19, If We Don’t Act Now
Any American inside of or living near a jail or prison faces even greater danger from the Coronavirus pandemic, according to an op-ed published March 16 in The New York Times. Dr. Amanda Klonsky, a scholar of education and mass incarceration, says that the new coronavirus spreads “at its quickest in closed environments,” which makes the prison […]
6 Ways Trump’s Denial of Science Has Delayed the Response to COVID-19 (and Climate Change)
The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the need for rigorous science, demonstrating—in realtime—what the consequences can be when world leaders pay inadequate attention to what that science says. In his response to COVID-19, Presdient Donald Trump has made statements that ignore, question or distort mainstream science. But long before the virus arrived—even before he became president—he […]
From Big Pharma to Jeff Bezos, Corona Profiteering Goes Viral
Some see a global pandemic and wonder, “How do I keep myself and my loved ones safe? How do I help out my neighbors and prevent the spread of this virus?” Others are hit with a cruel set of decisions. Whether to go to work and risk getting sick or infecting others, whether or not […]
From Global Pandemic to Emissions Impacts
WHO Declares Coronavirus a Global Pandemic — The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared the novel coronavirus a global pandemic, emphasizing that, with sufficient political will, nations can still change the course of the outbreak, Common Dreams reports. WHO’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said this designation doesn’t change the organization’s threat assessment or course of action, nor […]
Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein sentenced to 23 years in prison
Disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to 23 years in prison by a New York judge after being convicted of one count of third-degree rape and one count of committing a criminal sex act. Weinstein’s attorneys pleaded for the statutory minimum sentence Monday, arguing that their client “cannot walk outside without being heckled, he has lost […]
Coronavirus ‘Really Not the Way You Want To Decrease Emissions’
As the global economy shudders in reaction to the coronavirus, lessons are emerging about what that response can—and cannot—tell us about fighting climate change. Economists and policy analysts say they are most concerned about how the current financial disruption could harm the efforts of countries, international organizations and companies to reduce emissions. They think any […]
NY Gov Slammed for Using ‘Slave Labor’ in Manufacture of Hand Sanitizer
Justice groups were incensed when NY Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced plans on March 9 for prison inmates to manufacture hand sanitizer in an effort to combat shortages caused by the spread of the coronavirus, The Washington Post reports. They argue that it isn’t just to ask this of incarcerated people when they generally earn less than $1 per hour, and “have […]
The Writing Is on the Wall for Bernie Sanders
Let’s back up for a second. Remember February? Life was a lot different then. It was colder. No social distancing. You were touching your face all the time. And Bernie Sanders, for a couple fleeting weeks, was the Democratic frontrunner. In Nevada, Sanders finally showcased the young and diverse coalition he hoped to build. National […]
On Coronavirus, ‘You Have to Combine Economic and Public Health Measures’
Janine Jackson interviewed EPI’s Josh Bivens about coronavirus and the economy for the March 6, 2020, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. Janine Jackson: After some breathless and some racist coverage on coronavirus and the respiratory illness COVID-19, US media did get around to acknowledging that, for example, many people can’t follow the critical recommendation to stay home from work if they’re ill. […]
ONLINE MISINFORMATION DURING THE PRIMARIES: A PREVIEW OF WHAT’S TO COME?
Primary voters have been contending with long lines, technical glitches — and misinformation. Tuesday’s primaries were no exception. A watchdog group told the Center for Public Integrity that it found a smattering of social media accounts pushing misleading information, such as incorrectly saying some voters should actually go to the polls on Wednesday. Similar posts surfaced on Super […]