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    How Donald Trump set-up nursing home residents to die in the pandemic

    Jillian S. Ambroz, DCReport @ RawStory
    November 13, 2020

    Thanks for your support!

    This article was paid for by reader donations to Raw Story Investigates.

    Donald Trump removes his coronavirus mask before giving a White House campaign address. AFP.

    This article was paid for by Raw Story subscribers. Not a subscriber? Try us and go ad-free for $1. Prefer to give a one-time tip? Click here.

    Jillian S. Ambroz, DCReport @ RawStory

    As the pandemic rages to new heights and we gear up for a new administration, there’s an important step President-Elect Joseph R. Biden could take right away to protect our most vulnerable population: He could restore the ability for nursing home residents to sue their facilities for poor health standards.


    Though coronavirus cases for people living in long-term care facilities total just 8% of cases, that demographic accounts for 45% of all COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. through August, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

    The state-level data is even more grim. Nursing home deaths from COVID-19 in Minnesota and Rhode Island, for example, accounted for 81% of coronavirus deaths in those states as of early June, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation data. Long-term care facilities are a major driver of COVID-19 deaths in the country.

    Seniors at long-term care facilities and their families have little legal recourse when it comes to fighting for better conditions.

    But seniors at long-term care facilities and their families have little legal recourse when it comes to fighting for better conditions.

    Trump stripped seniors of those protections his first year in office. He rescinded a rule President Obama had put in place in 2016 which would have prevented corporate-run facilities from receiving federal funding if residents were forced into arbitration after suffering harm in their care. That rule also would have prevented facilities from making arbitration agreements a condition of admission or continued care.

    The Obama administration found significant evidence that pre-dispute arbitration agreements negatively impact the quality of patient care and create negative incentives on staffing and care because there is no threat of a substantial jury verdict for sub-standard care—findings that team Trump did not dispute.

    The move to erode protections for seniors prompted a group letter by 17 state attorneys general and the District of Columbia to the HHS in 2018. The letter urged the agency not to “lower the level of regulatory oversight” by “rolling back reforms to improve the safety and wellbeing of nursing home residents.”

    The new rule, finalized in mid-2019, has been promoted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which falls under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

    The Trump administration has taken an extra step to line the coffers of the corporations running these facilities. Since May, HHS has dedicated some $10 billion to facilities as incentive pay for “curbing” COVID-19 deaths and infections, among other things. Long-term care facilities have not blunted the spread of coronavirus, but they are taking the money.

    This article was paid for by Raw Story subscribers. Not a subscriber? Try us and go ad-free for $1. Prefer to give a one-time tip? Click here.

    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.

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    … 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.
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    Do you approve of Biden's presidency so far?

    'He did it!': Why a surprisingly bold move from Biden is winning big cheers from the left

    Alex Henderson, AlterNet
    March 01, 2021

    In Alabama — a deeply Republican state known for its anti-union right-to-work laws — Amazon employees are voting on whether or not to organize a union. And President Joe Biden offered support for the push Sunday night in a pro-union video that many progressives and labor advocates are applauding.

    Workers in Alabama – and all across America – are voting on whether to organize a union in their workplace. It’s a… https://t.co/aNdHmYyFUb
    — President Biden (@President Biden)1614560506.0

    In the video, Biden declared, "I've long said that America wasn't built by Wall Street. It was built by the middle class, and unions built the middle class. Unions put power in the hands of workers. They level the playing field. They give you a stronger voice for your health, your safety, higher wages protections from radical discrimination and sexual harassment. Unions lift up workers, union and non-union."

    Although Biden didn't specially mention Amazon by name, the president mentioned "workers in Alabama" and stressed that workers who want to unionize shouldn't be intimidated by management.

    "Let me be really clear: It's not up to me to decide whether anyone should join a union," Biden said in his video. "But let me be even more clear: It's not up to an employer to decide that either. The choice to join a union is up to the workers full-stop. Full stop. Today and over the next few days and weeks, workers in Alabama and all across America are voting on whether or not to organize a union in their workplace. This is vitally important."

    The Democratic president went onto say, "There should be no intimidation, no coercion, no threats, no anti-union propaganda. No supervisor should confront employees about their union preferences. You know, every worker should have a free and fair choice to join a union. The law guarantees that choice."

    Here are some responses to Biden's video:









    Republican facing ethics probe -- 'substantial reason to believe' he misused campaign funds: report

    Bob Brigham
    March 01, 2021

    The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) found there is "substantial reason to believe" Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-MS) converted campaign funds for his personal use, The Washington Post reported Monday.

    The OCE released a 47-page report on its initial investigation.

    "The probe was prompted by a complaint last March from the nonprofit Campaign Legal Center, which accused Palazzo of using his campaign contributions as a 'personal slush fund through which he paid 'himself and his spouse nearly $200,000,' including $60,000 in rent to his own farm," the newspaper reported. "In its report, the OCE said that it had found 'limited evidence of campaign use of the property, especially to justify $60,000.00 in rent and thousands of dollars of additional charges to maintain the home and improve its marketability."

    Read the full OCE report.

    Office of Congressional Ethics report recommending further investigation.Screengrab.

    Maskless Trump supporter turned in by his own family for being inside the Capitol during riot: report

    Bob Brigham
    March 01, 2021

    The FBI and federal prosecutors continue to make progress identifying people who were inside the U.S. Capitol during the fatal January 6th insurrection.

    "Federal authorities had help identifying the pony-tailed man wearing a 'Keep America Great' sweatshirt who popped up in numerous photographs inside the U.S. Capitol. Grayson Sherrill's family turned him in," the Charlotte Observer reported Monday.

    "A newly unsealed complaint charges Sherrill with three felonies: knowingly entering and remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; knowingly engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted area; and violent and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds," the newspaper reported. "A series of photographs included in the federal complaint against him shows a dark-haired, pony-tailed man wearing jeans, combat boots and a red Trump sweatshirt moving through the Capitol carrying either a rod or cane-like object."

    He was identified by two members of his family, according to the criminal complaint.

     
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    ‘Really creepy’ Republican’s behavior is so bad GOP lawmaker moved her desk to get away from him

    WATCH: Stacey Abrams has a plan to pass voting rights -- without getting rid of the filibuster

    Manhattan DA zeroing in on Trump Organization's chief financial officer: report

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