Author: Arjun

Yesterday, Trump irresponsibly removed his mask upon returning to the White House and yet again downplayed the threat of COVID-19, undermining public health and demonstrating the same failed leadership that led to the U.S. having by far the worst outbreak in the world. His administration still refuses to listen to the experts and puts Trump’s politics over public health even as the coronavirus surges in most states across the country.

Trump continues to undermine public health and show the same failure of leadership that led to the U.S. having the worst outbreak in the world.

New York Times: “‘Don’t Be Afraid of Covid,’ Trump Says, Undermining Public Health Messages”

CNN: “A strongly medicated President Donald Trump bolted from his VIP hospital bubble Monday, staging a bizarre White House comeback that included an irresponsible mask removal and a reckless pronouncement there is nothing to fear from Covid-19, which has already killed 210,000 Americans.”

The White House blocked new FDA guidelines to ensure a vaccine is safe, once again refusing to listen to the experts and undermining public trust for Trump’s political interests.

Associated Press: “The White House has blocked new Food and Drug Administration guidelines on bringing potential vaccines for COVID-19 to market that would almost certainly have prevented their introduction before the Nov. 3 election. At issue was the FDA’s planned instruction that vaccine developers follow patients enrolled in their trials for at least two months to rule out safety issues before seeking emergency approval from the agency. A senior administration confirmed the move Monday evening, saying the White House believed there was ‘no clinical or medical reason’ for the additional requirement.”

Instead of listening to the experts, the Trump administration has sidelined and even pressured the CDC to cover up the extent of the crisis.

Politico: “Trump official pressured CDC to change report on Covid and kids”

USA Today: “White House rebuffed CDC offer to lead contact tracing investigation of Trump outbreak”

Meanwhile, the coronavirus continues to surge in most parts of the country and experts warn that it could still get worse.

Bloomberg: “Covid-19 Making a Dangerous Comeback in Most Parts of U.S.”

Bloomberg: “Covid-19 is spreading again across most of the U.S., hammering rural America and smaller cities and raising anxiety in New York, as experts warn that school reopenings and colder weather may cause the situation to rapidly deteriorate. In 34 states, the seven-day average of new cases is higher now than it was a month ago.”

The post Trump Undermines Public Health & Shows Same Failed Leadership That Led To The World’s Worst Outbreak appeared first on Democrats.

The ads will run in local outlets in Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Minnesota, Michigan, Georgia, and Wisconsin

Today, the Democratic National Committee is announcing a new print and radio ad campaign to reach Black voters across the battleground states.

“Democrats are meeting Black voters where they are and making critical investments to ensure Americans have the information they need to make their plan to vote,” said Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez. “The stakes have never been higher — especially for communities of color — and we are committed to making sure voters have the tools and information they need to make their voices heard at the ballot box, exercise their fundamental right to participate in our democracy, and elect leaders like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris who will get our country back on track.”

The six-figure advertising campaign, which begins this week and was purchased through the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and Radio One, will direct individuals to IWillVote.com — the DNC’s newly updated voter participation hub, where voters can register to vote, check their voter registration, and make a plan to vote, whether in person or by mail.

These ads will run this week in:

 

This ad campaign follows the recent rollout of new features on IWillVote.com that help voters easily request and return their ballot by mail, as well as learn important information about the voting process in their state as they make their plan to vote. In September, the DNC also announced a Black print advertising campaign around National Black Voter Day.

See the print advertisement below and listen to the radio ad here.

 

 

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Over the weekend, coronavirus cases continued to surge across the United States, spreading both in states that had already experienced a large number of cases earlier this year as well as states that had previously recorded a low number of infections. And now, the increase in infections and hospitalizations has begun to worry experts that hospitals may soon become overwhelmed yet again. 

Over the weekend, coronavirus cases continued to skyrocket, with only three states showing a decrease in the number of new cases. 

CNN: “Only three US states are reporting a decline in new Covid-19 cases compared to last week, as the country hit its highest daily rate of new cases in almost two months. As of Saturday night, new cases were down in Texas, Missouri and South Carolina, while 21 states reported a rise in cases and a little more than half held steady compared with the week before. Friday, there were 54,506 new reported cases, according to Johns Hopkins University, the highest single day case number since 64,601 cases were reported on August 14.”

New York Times: “Some of the country’s least populous states are now seeing their highest infection rates. When coastal cities suffered in the spring, cases remained relatively scarce across most of the nation’s midsection. But since late summer, North Dakota and South Dakota have added more cases per capita than any other state. Utah recorded 1,387 new cases on Sunday, a single-day record. Four states — Wisconsin, Indiana, Montana and Wyoming — have added more cases in the last week than in any other seven-day stretch of the pandemic.”

Earlier today, Dr. Fauci said that he was “disturbed” by the number of new coronavirus cases in the United States. 

FAUCI: “I am certainly not pleased (or) satisfied, but I’m actually disturbed and concerned about the fact that our baseline of infections is still stuck at around 40,000 per day. … That’s no place to be when you’re trying to get your arms around an epidemic.”

Last week, six states reached record highs for hospitalizations.

CNBC: “Growing coronavirus outbreaks across the American West and Midwest have started to take an alarming turn as some states report growing Covid-19 hospitalizations and a shrinking supply of beds for patients. Six states reached record high Covid-19 hospitalizations, based on a weekly average to smooth out the reporting, as of Friday, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by the Covid Tracking Project, an independent volunteer organization launched by journalists at The Atlantic.”

The rise in new cases and hospitalizations in hot spots has begun to worry medical experts that ICU capacity in hospitals may be threatened again. 

Washington Examiner: “Yet, some are seeing hospitalizations increase to the point that hospital capacity may soon be a serious concern. For example, Wisconsin has 1,475 intensive care unit beds, but only 217, about 15%, are available. From early May until mid-September, the number of COVID-19 patients in ICU beds fluctuated between 65 and 144. It now stands at 208, more than double the number of two weeks ago. About 87% of the 1,222 ICU beds in Minnesota are occupied. Hospitals in the state may soon have to make use of 1,000 surge beds that can be ready for COVID-19 patients in 24 to 72 hours. Minnesota and Wisconsin saw their hospitalizations increase 12% and 34%, respectively, over the last week.”

WISCONSIN – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Some Wisconsin hospitals are resorting to wait-listing patients, or sending them to other facilities, as the state’s coronavirus surge continues to rage. Hospitals have been especially overwhelmed in Green Bay, Wausau and the Fox Valley, which are among the state’s latest COVID-19 hot spots. … The number of people hospitalized in Wisconsin due to the virus reached a new high Tuesday, with 646 coronavirus patients occupying beds across the state, including 205 patients in ICU beds.”

MISSOURI – St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “Health officials here, faced with rising COVID-19 case numbers and divided public opinion, are warning that if residents refuse to take precautions, the virus will continue to grow, unchecked, and could tax the local hospital’s capacity to handle patients. In recent weeks, Jefferson County has seen some of the fastest growth of COVID-19 cases in the St. Louis area. Leaders of the county’s only hospital are urging residents to wear masks and avoid large gatherings, especially as flu season arrives. And the local health department is stretched thin as it contends with increasing infections.”

The post As Coronavirus Cases Surge, Experts Worry Hospitals May Be Overwhelmed Again appeared first on Democrats.

New ad is latest part of multi-pronged voter education campaign around Pennsylvania mail ballots 

The Democratic National Committee today is launching a new broadcast ad in Philadelphia showing voters step-by-step instructions on how to properly return their mail ballot, including using the required secrecy envelope.

The ad, ‘Secrecy Envelope,’ is launching as part of a joint voter education campaign with Biden for President Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, and other groups.

The ad will air on broadcast TV in the Philadelphia market starting today and provides step-by-step instructions to voters on how to properly fill out their mail ballot, including sealing their ballot within the provided secrecy envelope, which is required for their vote to count.

“Vote-by-mail is surging in Pennsylvania, and it’s crucial that every voter using a mail ballot has the information they need to ensure their voice is heard in November,” said DNC Chair Tom Perez. “With more ways than ever to vote easily and comfortably, Democrats are committed to making sure every Pennsylvanian can vote in the manner that’s best for them and be confident their ballot will be counted.”

WATCH HERE:

Today’s ad is the latest step taken by the DNC, Biden for President Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, and other groups to educate voters about how to easily return their vote-by-mail ballot and ensure their vote is counted. Last week, the DNC released a digital ad, “How to return your ballot!” that also educated voters across the Commonwealth on mail ballots. The education campaign further includes regular voter education events, direct voter outreach, and a robust social media campaign featuring photos and videos of elected officials and local leaders completing the steps to return their mail ballots.

Additionally, earlier this month, DNC and Biden for President added new features to the IWillVote.com voter information website, making it easier for Pennsylvanians to check their voting status and register to vote if need be, request a mail ballot, or easily find deadlines regarding casting their ballot. Pennsylvanians interested in learning more can go to IWillVote.com/PA.

The post New DNC Ad in Philadelphia Provides Step-By-Step Instructions for Voters To Return Mail Ballots appeared first on Democrats.

Después de que el Departamento del Trabajo de los EEUU publicara las últimas cifras de empleo, el presidente del DNC y exsecretario de Trabajo Tom Perez, emitió la siguiente declaración: 

“El crecimiento de empleo ha desacelerado, millones siguen sin trabajo y las pequeñas empresas siguen cerrando. Los trabajadores estadounidenses todavía están sufriendo bajo esta economía y no soportan más esta crisis. Necesitamos líderes que apoyen a los trabajadores, que les dé el alivio que se merecen, que ponga fin a esta pandemia y que reconstruya mejor que antes.”

The post Declaración del DNC sobre las últimas cifras de empleos appeared first on Democrats.

After the U.S. Department of Labor released the latest jobs and unemployment numbers, DNC Chair and former Labor Secretary Tom Perez issued the following statement:

“Job growth has slowed, millions remain out of work, and small businesses continue to close. American workers are still suffering under this economy and cannot endure this crisis any longer. We need leaders who will lift up workers, give them the relief they deserve, put an end to this pandemic, and build back better.”

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DNC Chair Tom Perez released the following statement on the anniversary of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, the deadliest mass shooting in American history:

“Three years ago, America woke to the horror of the deadliest mass shooting in our nation’s history. Today, we honor the lives we lost in Las Vegas; we grieve for the families and communities across the country that have been shattered by senseless gun violence; and we recommit ourselves to ending these tragedies once and for all. Make no mistake: The pain we feel today is not inevitable. It is the price of inaction. It is the result of the craven deal Republican leaders make when they put the interests of the gun lobby ahead of the lives of their own constituents. While Trump and his allies have stonewalled any attempt at progress, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have laid out sensible policies to stop the carnage in our communities. As we mourn those we’ve lost, we must continue to push for legislation to end gun violence and elect leaders who will stand up to the NRA.”

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Trump is fighting in court to take away health care from tens of millions of Americans in the middle of a pandemic while more and more Americans are relying on the Affordable Care Act. One candidate wants to take away Americans’ health care while the other wants to increase access to care — it’s really that simple.

Over 4 million Americans turned to Medicaid during the pandemic as Trump fought to terminate the ACA, including its Medicaid expansion.

CNN: “Just over 4 million more Americans turned to Medicaid last spring as the coronavirus pandemic upended the nation’s economy, new federal data released Wednesday shows.”

Nearly half a million Americans turned to the ACA, which Trump is fighting to eliminate, after they lost their health insurance during the pandemic.

CNN: “Meanwhile, nearly half a million Americans turned to the federal Obamacare exchanges earlier this year after losing health insurance coverage, according to federal data released in June.”

Even before the pandemic hit, nearly 30 million Americans lacked health care last year and millions more will lose it if Trump succeeds in court.

Washington Post: “Nearly 30 million people in the country lacked coverage at some point during 2019, 1 million more than in the previous year.”

Trump wants to take health care away from millions of Americans, while millions could gain it under Biden. It’s really quite simple.

Vox: “If Trump wins, 20 million people could lose health insurance. If Biden wins, 25 million could gain it.”

The post More Americans Rely On The ACA As Trump Fights To Take It Away appeared first on Democrats.

DNC Chair and former Labor Secretary Tom Perez released the following statement after another 1.4 million Americans filed initial claims for unemployment last week:

“Another 1.4 million unemployment claims. Another week of death and devastation. And this president continues to stand idly by. No action. No responsibility. No leadership. For the 28th consecutive week, more people have filed for unemployment benefits than during the single worst week of the Great Recession, and there continue to be mass layoffs, including more than 40,000 airline workers facing what could be the single-worst episode of aviation layoffs in American history. One flight attendant facing joblessness said simply, ‘I don’t have enough, unfortunately, to get by.’ That’s because he doesn’t have a good enough president to get by. As Americans struggle, Donald Trump still can’t find the courage, compassion, or competence to lead. More than 200,000 Americans have perished, millions of jobs have disappeared, and our economy remains in recession while Trump continues to hold up a deal on economic relief. We need to elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to end this disastrous period in our history and help us build back better.”

1.4 million Americans filed new unemployment claims last week. For 28 consecutive weeks, more people have filed for benefits than during the single worst week of the Great Recession.

Washington Post’s Heather Long: “Layoffs are still going on at a rapid pace. 1.4 million Americans filed a *new* UI or PUA unemployment claim last week — about the same as the prior two weeks.”

CNBC: “The total is still well above anything the U.S. has seen since before the crisis.”

26 million Americans are receiving some form of unemployment relief – over 18 times where we were a year ago.

Washington Post’s Heather Long: “**26 million people are on unemployment**”

Nearly 63 million unemployment claims have been filed since the pandemic began, far surpassing the total during the entire Great Recession.

Business Insider: “The nearly 63 million unemployment-insurance filings made throughout the coronavirus pandemic trounce the 37 million filings seen during the 18-month Great Recession.”

Job growth slowed significantly in August.

Axios: “The labor market is rebounding, but the pace of hiring has dropped off. The slowdown could be a sign of what’s to come: a long, sluggish job market recovery… President Trump has praised job gains in recent months, even though they have consistently slowed from June’s surprise 4.8 million jump.”

BLS: “Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 1.4 million in August, following increases of larger magnitude in the prior 3 months.”

Wall Street Journal: “The number of available jobs in the U.S. leveled off late this summer, the latest sign momentum in the labor market is easing six months after the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the U.S. The increase in the number of job postings, a real-time measure of labor-market activity, has slowed dramatically since late July, and last week stood about 20% below 2019 levels, according to data the job-search site Indeed.com shared with The Wall Street Journal.”

Fewer than half of jobs lost during the pandemic have come back, with 11.5 million fewer jobs than in February.

BLS: “Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 1.4 million in August, following increases of larger  magnitude in the prior 3 months. In August, nonfarm employment was below its February level by 11.5 million, or 7.6 percent.”

Washington Post’s Heather Long: “Official unemployment rate = 8.4%  That’s the lowest unemployment rate since March but one of worst in modern history. **About 48% of the 22 million jobs lost during the pandemic have returned**”

Permanent job losses rose by 534,000 in August to 2.1 million since February.

BLS: “In August, the number of permanent job losers increased by 534,000 to 3.4 million; this measure has risen by 2.1 million since February.”

Hispanic and Asian unemployment remains over 10 percent, and the Black unemployment rate remains nearly twice that of white Americans.

Washington Post’s Heather Long: “This continues to be a highly uneven recovery.  Black, Hispanic and younger workers remain over 10% unemployed Men: 8% Women: 8.4% Teens: 16.1% White: 7.3% Hispanic: 10.5% Asian: 10.7% Black: 13%”

There continue to be mass layoffs costing tens of thousands of jobs.

Yahoo News: “Still, a wave of new layoffs from major corporations looms. On Tuesday, Disney said it would be cutting 28,000 jobs in its resort business, in one of the deepest reductions announced so far during the pandemic period. Shell on Wednesday said it planned to slash up to 9,000 positions by the end of 2022. And airlines including American Airlines and United Airlines Holdings have each warned they could furlough some 19,000 and 12,000 workers, respectively, following the October lapse of provisions under Congress’s CARES Act that gave the industry billions to help keep workers on payrolls.”

Bloomberg: “Tens of thousands of job cuts announced by blue-chip companies in a 24-hour period are a warning sign for the world’s recovery and emerge just ahead of two key reports forecast to show limited progress in the U.S. labor market.”

Challenger Jobs Report: “Job cuts announced by U.S.-based employers jumped to 118,804 in September, up 2.6% from August’s total of 115,762, according to a monthly report released Thursday by global outplacement and business and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. September’s total is 186% higher than the 41,557 job cuts announced in September 2019.”

Small businesses remain in peril with millions of small firms at risk and hundreds of thousands expecting to have to close in the next six months.

Bloomberg: “About one in 20 small firms say they expect to permanently shut down in the next six months, according to the latest Small Business Pulse Survey by the Census Bureau.”

CNBC: “Yelp also takes into account the businesses whose closures have become permanent. That number has steadily increased throughout the past six months, now reaching 97,966, representing 60% of closed businesses that won’t be reopening.”

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Ahead of Donald Trump’s fundraiser at his country club in Bedminster, New Jersey today, Democratic National Committee spokesperson Will Baskin-Gerwitz released the following statement:

“Donald Trump today will tell his supporters in Bedminster that he’s making America great again, while back in Washington his administration will be preparing for their Supreme Court case to dismantle our health care system. If Trump has his way, more than 133 million Americans who have diabetes, survived cancer, or contracted COVID-19 could be denied access to health care due to their pre-existing conditions or see their premiums skyrocket because Trump doesn’t have a replacement plan. That’s not making America great, it’s making America broke.”

BACKGROUND ON TRUMP’S ATTACK ON THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

On November 10, the Supreme Court will begin hearing oral arguments in the Trump Administration’s latest effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. If the Trump administration succeeds, it will jeopardize health care for more than 20 million  Americans and eliminate protections for as many as 133 million Americans with preexisting conditions, including as many as 8.6 million New Yorkers and over 3.8 million New Jerseyans.

In the midst of a global pandemic, the ACA is one of our most critical tools.

• Comprehensive Coverage: The ACA established what are known as “essential health benefits,” mandating coverage of services like prescription drugs and hospitalization. Coronavirus testing and treatment are essential health benefits and must be covered by all ACA-compliant plans.

• Access To Critical Vaccinations Without Cost Sharing: Once a coronavirus vaccine is developed, the Affordable Care Act will almost certainly cover the coronavirus vaccine without cost-sharing, because it requires plans to cover all vaccinations recommended by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

• Protections For As Many As 133 Million Americans With Preexisting Conditions: Under the ACA, insurance companies are not allowed to discriminate against those with preexisting conditions by denying them coverage or charging higher rates

• Coverage for 20+ Million People: Because of the ACA, more than 20 million Americans gained health coverage. People with insurance are much more likely to see a doctor when they are sick and to get the treatment they need.

• Increased CDC Funding: The Affordable Care Act established the CDC Prevention and Public Health Fund, which helps states prepare for disease outbreaks.

• Medicaid Expansion: Because of the ACA, states can get additional federal money to expand Medicaid to vulnerable populations. More than 17 million Americans now have coverage through Medicaid expansion. Importantly, Medicaid’s funding structure allows funds to increase in response to a public health emergency like coronavirus.

• Key Support For Rural Hospitals: The ACA significantly reduced uncompensated care costs. Between 2013 and 2015, hospitals’ uncompensated care costs decreased by $12 billion, or roughly 30 percent. As hospitals face an influx in coronavirus patients, it is critical that they are paid for the treatment they provide.

Trump will keep lying to Americans about protecting their health care — but he has already broken his biggest health care promises.

• Fewer Americans Covered: Trump promised that whoever “wanted health care” would have it under his administration, but fewer Americans had health insurance last year before the pandemic hit, and the Trump-backed lawsuit could cause more than 20 million Americans to lose their insurance.

• Rising Health Care Costs: Trump promised he would put a stop to rising health care costs and even reduce them — but his lawsuit would raise out-of-pocket costs for premiums and prescription drugs.

• No Preexisting Condition Protections: Trump promised to support preexisting condition protections and said that costs for people with preexisting conditions would be “much lower” under his leadership — but his lawsuit would end these vital protections.

• Gutting Medicaid Access: Trump promised to protect Medicaid — but his lawsuit would end access to Medicaid for millions of Americans enrolled through the ACA’s expansion program.

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