{"id":5990,"date":"2020-09-27T19:30:28","date_gmt":"2020-09-27T19:30:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adhc.lib.ua.edu\/pandemicbook\/?page_id=5990"},"modified":"2021-11-13T19:08:23","modified_gmt":"2021-11-13T19:08:23","slug":"09-27","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/adhc.lib.ua.edu\/pandemicbook\/09-27\/","title":{"rendered":"09-27"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Sunday, September 27<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUS Cases 7.12 million
US Deaths 205,074<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Sep 25: Over the course of September, Midwest states experienced a\u00a0dramatic rise<\/a>\u00a0in COVID-19 cases. South Dakota alone suffered a 166% increase, and 10 other states report record single-day increases. President Trump announces<\/a> he will nominate Amy Coney Barrett to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Barrett is a conservative from the midwest and a part of the People of Praise<\/a>\u2014an ecumenical charismatic group headquartered in South Bend, Indiana. RBG becomes the first woman<\/a> to lie in state at the Capitol. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine<\/a> looks promising in its Phase 3 trials. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R)\u00a0announce<\/a>s that Florida will fully reopen<\/a>\u00a0one\u00a0day after reporting most coronavirus deaths in U.S. Violence is expected<\/a> in Portland as right-wing group, the Proud Boys, arrives in the city to confront left-wing protesters.<\/p>

Sep 26: \u00a0The CDC\u00a0ends a federal coronavirus survey<\/a> this week after public health workers, who went door-to-door across 180 neighborhoods to gain a better understanding of how the virus was spreading and offer free virus and antibody testing, experienced verbal abuse, intimidation, and racism. Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases spike<\/a> in the Midwest.\u00a0<\/p>

Sep 27:\u00a0 President Trump\u00a0paid just $750 in federal income taxes\u00a0i<\/a>n the year he was elected,\u00a0The New York Times<\/em> reports. Trump also paid $750 in his first year in the White House, and nothing in 10 of the previous 15 years. Trump calls the Times<\/em>‘ report\u00a0“totally fake news.”<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFrom the Cutting Room Floor...\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

There is no room to be scandalized in our world anymore, and it seems to be a fair bet that this news that Trump has paid almost no taxes in the last decade will not shake Trump\u2019s followers or change the political landscape. We have become inured to scandal, collectively agreeing that power and platform matter more than character and conviction. \u201cTax evasion is different than tax avoidance,\u201d Ryan Ellis at the Center for a Free Economy announces, \u201cand tax avoidance is smart.\u201d[1]<\/a> Thank you, Ryan. Lesson learned.<\/span><\/p>

The truth is that Trump\u2019s tax returns are not exceptional. As the podcast Trump, Inc.<\/em> has shown, the current White House occupant is a part of a much wider network of people and transnational corporations that protect a small group of the world\u2019s wealthiest.[2]<\/a><\/a> They have used those positions to enrich themselves, their families, and their personal connections\u2014the very behavior against which decades of American legislation and norms were supposed to defend.<\/span><\/p>

[read_more id=”1″ more=”Read more” less=”Read less”]<\/p>

The pandemic has has exacerbated the great divide that now exists between the very-wealthy few and everyone else. While six million people filed for unemployment this year, the nation\u2019s billionaires saw their net worth jump by over $500 billion.[4]<\/a> Ironically, $500 billion of the COVID bailouts went to corporate recipients whose names the Trump administration refuses to divulge.[5]<\/a><\/span><\/p>

Only in the world of food processing has the Department of Justice seemed to take an interest. The same food processers who were ordered to shut down in March to clean their facilities and protect their workers have been making record profits, as we know. This incongruous behavior drew attention from the Antitrust Division at the Department of Justice, who have already indicted Jayson Penn, CEO of Pilgrim\u2019s Pride, Roger Austin, a former Pilgrim\u2019s vice president, Mikell Fries, president of Claxton Poultry, and Scott Brady, a vice president at Claxton (Claxton supplies Chik-Fil-A) for price-fixing going all the way back to 2008.[6]<\/a> The government is going after \u201cbig beef\u201d as well, looking at Tyson, Cargill, and JBS, who seem to be artificially keeping grocery prices high while paying bottom dollar for livestock.[7]<\/a><\/span><\/p>

Even in the food world, however, this is only a small pushback to the overall trend of profits-before-all-else. Processing plants have been increasing the speed of their lines and stripping back worker employment and safety protections.[9]<\/a> Workers for Smithfield or Tyson or any of the others still receive a sub-optimal wage. Whether \u201ckleptocracy\u201d is the correct designation for what is happening hardly matters. It sure appears like\u2014whether it\u2019s meat producers colluding or pharmaceutical companies charging more for life-saving drugs that have been out of patent for decades or states offering massive tax breaks to every company that says they\u2019ll create jobs (whether or not they actually do) or a federal pandemic response that seems not to care about its at-risk citizens\u2014those at the top of the heap are using their positions to take and take from the rest of us, all while making sure that their hair is just-so.<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Notes<\/p>

[1]<\/a> Ryan Ellis, \u201cNew York Times\u2019 Trump Tax Return \u2018Bombshell\u2019 Is A Joke,\u201d The Federalist, September 28, 2020, https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2020\/09\/28\/new-york-times-trump-tax-return-bombshell-is-a-joke\/.<\/span><\/p>

[2]<\/a> ProPublica, \u201cTrump’s Taxes, Finally,” Trump, Inc.<\/i>, 09-28-2020, ProPublica<\/i>, https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/series\/trump-inc.<\/span><\/p>

<\/a><\/span><\/p>

[4]<\/a> Rachel Augustine Potter, \u201cHow Trump Uses a Crisis: Repeal Rules While Nobody Is Looking,\u201d Washington Post<\/em>, June 9, 2020, https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/outlook\/2020\/06\/09\/how-trump-uses-crisis-repeal-rules-while-nobody-is-looking\/.<\/span><\/p>

[5]<\/a> Jessica Corbett, \u201c\u2018Speaking of Looting…\u2019: Trump Admin. Refuses to Disclose Corporate Recipients of $500 Billion in Coronavirus Bailout Funds,\u201d Common Dreams, June 11, 2020, https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/2020\/06\/11\/speaking-looting-trump-admin-refuses-disclose-corporate-recipients-500-billion.<\/span><\/p>

[6]<\/a> Susan Heavey, Tom Polansek, and Diane Bartz, \u201cPilgrim\u2019s Pride CEO Indicted over Alleged U.S. Chicken Price-Fixing,\u201d Reuters<\/em>, June 4, 2020, https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-usa-pilgrims-pride-charges-idUSKBN23A2TF.<\/span><\/p>

[7]<\/a> Jacob Bunge and Brent Kendall, \u201cJustice Department Issues Subpoenas to Beef-Processing Giants,\u201d Wall Street Journal<\/em>, June 5, 2020, https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/justice-department-issues-subpoenas-to-beef-processing-giants-11591371745.<\/span><\/p>

<\/a><\/span><\/p>

[9]<\/a> Jerald Brooks and Lakesha Bailey, \u201cOpinion | We\u2019re Feeding America, but We\u2019re Sacrificing Ourselves,\u201d The New York Times<\/em>, June 15, 2020, sec. Opinion, https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/15\/opinion\/coronavirus-tyson-poultry.html.<\/span>
[\/read_more]<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tVideos\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

“President Trump announces Amy Coney Barrett for Supreme Court,” The Hill<\/em>, September 26, 2020, https:\/\/youtu.be\/nfkwAnCLhY0<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

“Trump celebrates Amy Coney Barrett announcement at top of rally,” The Hill<\/em>, September 26, 2020, https:\/\/youtu.be\/vHq_r5VcLIM<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\u00a0Amy Coney Barrett, “Hesburgh Lecture 2016: Professor Amy Barrett at the JU Public Policy Institute,” Notre Dame Club, Jacksonville University, November 3, 2020, https:\/\/youtu.be\/7yjTEdZ81lI<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Trevor Noah, “Trump Nominates Amy Coney Barrett to Replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” The Daily Social Distancing Show, Comedy Central, September 26, 2020, https:\/\/youtu.be\/MJY7jv8DX9I<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tDocuments\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t