Tired of ads? Want to support our progressive journalism? Click to learn more.LEARN MORE
Enjoy good journalism?
… then let us make a small request. The COVID crisis has slashed advertising rates, and we need your help. Like you, we here at Raw Story believe in the power of progressive journalism. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and legal efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. And unlike other news outlets, we’ve decided to make our original content free. But we need your support to do what we do.
Raw Story is independent. Unhinged from corporate overlords, we fight to ensure no one is forgotten.
We need your support in this difficult time. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click to donate by check.
Value Raw Story?
… then let us make a small request. The COVID crisis has slashed advertising rates, and we need your help. Like you, we believe in the power of progressive journalism — and we’re investing in investigative reporting as other publications give it the ax. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. We need your support to do what we do.
Raw Story is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us in the future. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.
  |  |
Report typos and corrections to: corrections@rawstory.com.
‘Tainted’ Mark Meadows could end up working at the Trump Org because no one else wants him: report
January 25, 2021
According to a report from Politico on the ongoing issues former Donald Trump administration officials are having in finding gainful employment, add former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to the list of those with limited prospects.
Meadows, who resigned his seat in the House to work for Trump, was the last of the president's White House chiefs of staff and now finds himself on the outs in Washington, D.C., where former lawmakers often slide into lobbyist jobs.
<p>As Politico reports, "Tainted by Trump's reputation, several Trump aides described an increasingly bleak job market with virtually no chance of landing jobs in corporate America and some even having seen promising leads disappear after the rampage at the U.S. Capitol," before adding, "It's not just the lower- and mid-level staffers getting pinched.<strong> </strong>Two people familiar with his thinking said Trump's former chief of staff Mark Meadows, who spent seven years in the House of Representatives before joining the White House, was even considering a position at the Trump Organization because of a lack of options."</p><p>Meadows floundered in his final months overseeing the president, with fellow White House staffers at one time calling him "<a href="https://www.rawstory.com/2020/10/zero-help-to-us-white-house-staff-furious-with-mark-meadows-for-revealing-trumps-health-issues/" target="_blank">zero help</a>" during the coronavirus health crisis.</p>
CONTINUE READING
Show less
Ten billionaires gained enough wealth in 2020 to vaccinate everyone on Earth for COVID — three times over: report
January 25, 2021
On Monday, the New York Post reported that the top ten richest people in the world made enough money last year to vaccinate every single person on the planet for COVID-19.
"The 10 richest billionaires saw their collective wealth increase by $540 billion from March 18 — around the time the coronavirus caused a historic crash in global stock markets — through Dec. 31, according to Oxfam's analysis of Forbes wealth data," reported Noah Manskar. "That's more than enough to cover the estimated $141.2 billion cost of producing, distributing and delivering COVID-19 vaccines for the entire global population, the nonprofit said in its Monday report."
<p>"Rigged economies are funneling wealth to a rich elite who are riding out the pandemic in luxury, while those on the frontline of the pandemic — shop assistants, healthcare workers, and market vendors — are struggling to pay the bills and put food on the table," said Oxfam International executive director Gabriela Bucher.</p><p>The vaccine rollout in the United States has been plagued with problems in delivery that have put the effort behind schedule. However, some wealthy individuals have been able to cut to the front of the line; one Florida nursing home, for example, was found to be <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/01/06/coronavirus-covid-live-updates-us/" target="_blank">giving out vaccines to its donors</a>.</p>
CONTINUE READING
Show less
Democrats are the new senate majority -- so why is Mitch McConnell still running the place?
January 25, 2021
Days into the new government, it's clear that Joe Biden is running an energetic, activist White House while new Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is still stuck in the same stalled Senate that he served in the ever-victimized minority.
Whatever else you want to say about Schumer, he's no Lyndon Baines Johnson, who dominated as a Senate majority leader, or even Harry Reid.
<p>From the outside, it looks like majority leading by pleading, not arm-twisting. You don't hear that other senators fear Schumer as much as hope that he can stand up to the ever-manipulative tactics of a crafty Mitch McConnell, who has lost the majority leader title, but not its magic to set the agenda.</p><blockquote>Schumer got to this day in a plodding manner, using congressional rules and his ever-present microphone rather than any sense of authoritative aggressiveness.<br/></blockquote><p>It could be because Schumer's gotten the majority leader office by the barest of margins – the potential tie-breaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris when it will be needed. Or perhaps it is because the real majority leader emerging is centrist Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who seems repeatedly to forget that he is a Democrat, and who doesn't mind hanging Schumer and Democratic goals in thin air. It might even be because Biden himself, a longtime senator, has personal relationships in the chamber to pursue himself.</p><p>Whatever.</p><p>Somehow, everyone in the House knows that Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with her narrowed Democratic majority, is still the swaying voice for everything from impeachment votes to requiring that members leave their guns at the door to the chamber. It is the deference of others to her power that we are examining.</p><p>We recognize in Schumer a certain caution in trying to get the most from a split, now-stuck Senate, someone who got to this day in a plodding manner, using congressional rules and his ever-present microphone rather than any sense of authoritative aggressiveness. Maybe it is his speaking voice, which borders on annoying rather than one inspiring attention, or his pleading tone. Maybe he was just better at offering obstructions as a minority leader than serving at the front of the Senate.</p><p>Of course, maybe he'll settle in and be more effective, but right now, the focus for political wins in the Senate still seems to be on McConnell.</p><h3>Deftness?</h3><p>On ABC News recently, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, commenting on the continuing Schumer-McConnell wrangles over the timing of the impeachment trial, the makeup of Senate committees and the rules governing a 50-50 Senate split said, "The one thing Chuck isn't is deft. Definitely not deft."</p><p>"Chuck Schumer has finally realized his dream of becoming majority leader. And given the circumstances, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/23/chuck-schumer-mcconnell-problems-461406" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">it's a bit of a nightmare</a>," noted Politico. Without an agreement on new rules, for example, Republicans maintain most of the committee chairmanships, reviewing confirmations and legislation.</p><p>What does seem apparent are that there is a lot to get done at once in a Biden presidency both to reverse what are seen as bad mistakes from the Donald Trump years and to be aggressive about taking advantage of the next two years until another election will put the Senate majority on the ballot again.</p><p>The healthy argument between Schumer and McConnell about whether to eliminate filibuster rules – rules that effectively require 60 votes for any substantial legislation rather than a simple majority are going McConnell's way – in part because Schumer does not have the votes of Manchin or Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.). The impeachment trial for Trump has been delayed – just as McConnell had asked, though a week earlier. The committees needed for confirmation hearings and to review the immediate demands for Biden-proposed legislation on COVID-19 aid, on extending jobless benefits and immigration changes are being held hostage to the inside game in the Senate.</p><p>Again, filibuster rule debates are inside baseball, they don't get jobs or food or vaccines done.</p><p>From the outside, it looks as if what drives Republicans' votes in the Senate is fear – from McConnell over life as a senator and from Trump, whose continuing influence is in aiming his insults and primary threats for reelection. By contrast, what seems to drive Democratic votes is a general plea to reason rather than the use of power.</p><p>As the opposition party, Republicans, of course, already are lining up to give Trump a pass on impeachment conviction and a permanent bar to run for office again, and, while open to approving Biden's cabinet, generally are vocal about a too-large investment in anti-COVID efforts based on the new-found need to care for the national debt.</p><h3>Title Without Authority</h3><p>The new heavyweight in the Senate is the center, with Manchin from Democrats meeting up with Susan Collins (R-Maine), and a smallish group from Republicans. Somehow, they want to buck both parties with their insistence on moderation and politeness – even as the Capitol is assaulted, even as the coronavirus deaths soar again, even as hunger is growing.</p><p>Schumer himself is up for reelection in 2022 and could face a long-shot primary challenge from the likes of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.</p><p>"The talks of bipartisanship are quickly getting ensnared by must-move Senate business, not the least of which is getting an agreement on how the Senate will be run over the next two years. It seems simple, but it's a big deal and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/22/politics/senate-power-sharing-schumer-mcconnell/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">it's proving far harder to secure than anyone had anticipated,</a>" noted CNN.</p><p>Schumer is seeing pressure from his left to dump the filibuster to make it easier to pass improvements in health, infrastructure, environment and national security issues. Biden, again, thinks that bipartisanship can be made to work, but needs a strong Schumer.</p><p>So, Schumer's time is short to prove effectiveness. He did not win his title until Georgia improbably elected two Democrats on Jan. 5, and it has been a race to get the new rules in place at a time of simultaneous public tidal waves. Succeeding as majority leader has meant going toe-to-toe with McConnell over arcane rules.</p><p>McConnell simply is acting as if he gets a veto over all that passes to the Senate. He is still acting as majority leader without the title.</p><p>Schumer needs to step up to his new job.</p>
CONTINUE READING
Show less
Trending
Latest
Videos
Copyright © 2021 Raw Story Media, Inc. PO Box 21050, Washington, D.C. 20009 | Masthead | Privacy Policy | For corrections or concerns, please email corrections@rawstory.com.