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By PHIL EWINGAlbuquerque

I read with interest the opinion articles written by Anissa Tinnin (link) and Juan Jose Gonzales (link) and came to realize (as most of us have) that we are very much a polarized and partisan nation.

We have become very isolated in our lives and politics. As President John F. Kennedy once said: For in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our childrens future. And we are all mortal.

The Republican Party of today is not the party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, or Eisenhower. These Presidents had compassion and put their country before themselves. The Republican Party was formed as a political party that was against slavery in America during the Lincoln era.

President Teddy Roosevelt was known as Teddy the Trust Buster because he did not want large monopolies dictating the economy in our country but rather promoting a free enterprise system.

President Eisenhower envisioned and created the interstate highway system in America.

Yet, Anissa Tinnin insists that progressives or as some may say, liberals, will destroy traditional New Mexico values. We all know that Democrats and Republicans alike want to promote these values and not destroy them.

Instilling fear into people is not the answer but rather solving problems through cooperation is the best way to move forward.

This is not a Democrat or Republican thing, its an American thing! Together and I mean together, we CAN solve the problems of today! And once again, as President John F. Kennedy said, If you mean by liberal someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of peopletheir health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, their civil liberties. If that is what they mean by liberal, then I am proud to be a liberal.

Continue reading here:
Letter To The Editor: This Is Not A Democrat Or Republican Thing It's An American Thing! - Los Alamos Daily Post

Sen. Ron WydenRonald (Ron) Lee WydenOvernight Defense: Army now willing to rename bases named after Confederates | Dems demand answers on 'unfathomable' nuke testing discussions | Pentagon confirms death of north African al Qaeda leader On The Money: S&P erases 2020 losses as stocks soar | US entered recession in February: NBER | Lawmakers worry IRS is giving rich people a pass Top Democrats demand answers on Trump administration's 'unfathomable' consideration of nuclear testing MORE (D-Ore.), the ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee, accused Labor Secretary Eugene ScaliaEugene ScaliaOn The Money: Initial jobless claims drop to 1.9 million | IRS faces obstacles with remaining stimulus checks | Nearly half of Americans have lost income over coronavirus Labor secretary: Unemployment rate could be under 10 percent by end of year AFL-CIO sues OSHA to demand standard for worker protections MORE on Tuesday of givingmisleading testimony on key questions pertaining to unemployment benefits.

"I think that's just misleading the committee, misleading the public and on a key kind of question, which is what to do going forward," Wyden said at the end of a three-hour Finance Committee hearing looking at how the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic affected workers.

At the heart of the matter was the question of extending the $600 in additional weekly unemployment insurance benefits, a provision of Marchs CARES Act thats set to expire at the end of July.

Republicans argue that the extra cash, which in many cases makes the total benefit higher than working wages, disincentivizes people from returning to work.

Wyden contended that the only reason Democrats had pushed for a flat $600 increase was because states, which administer unemployment benefits, would have to take months to upgrade their systems in order to simply provide workers their full level of wages.

"Do states have the capacity now to implement 100 percent wage replacement on an individual basis? Wyden asked Scalia at the hearing.

"I think, actually, the states have made some progress and are in a different place than they were before," Scalia responded, though he avoided flatly confirming that states were ready.

At the end of the hearing, Wyden took the unusual step of asking for more time to accuse Scalia of providing misleading answers, saying that in a recent private meeting, Scalia had told him the opposite.

"I'm open to a variety of approaches, but it doesn't help when we have misleading comments," he said.

Scalia, who sparred with several Democrats during the course of the hearing, said that he simply had new information.

"I actually have learned more since you and I spoke, and I confess as I sit here now I am more optimistic about the capabilities that states may have based on the conversations that we continue to have," he said.

Committee Chairman Chuck GrassleyCharles (Chuck) Ernest GrassleySenate GOP leaders don't expect next coronavirus bill before mid-July On The Money: S&P erases 2020 losses as stocks soar | US entered recession in February: NBER | Lawmakers worry IRS is giving rich people a pass GAO provides guidance to lawmakers to protect watchdogs, prevent abuse MORE (R-Iowa) said that the original $600 benefit had been important for keeping the economy afloat, but that economic circumstances had changed since March as the country had begun to open up.

The question of how to approach unemployment benefits is one of the central issues in negotiating a new COVID-19 relief bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellSenate GOP leaders don't expect next coronavirus bill before mid-July GOP senators urge Trump to back off Murkowski threat Schumer wants votes on police reform, fifth coronavirus bill by July 4 MORE said Tuesday that the bill would not be taken up until after July 4th, which had been the expected target for passing it.

An unexpectedly good jobs report last week boosted the GOP argument that more time was needed to evaluate the level of economic need, though Democrats have been quick to point out that the economy remains in the deepest recession and worst unemployment situation since the Great Depression.

Tensions in the hearing Tuesday centered on other issues, too. Wyden also accused Scalia of providing misleading information in regards to putting out detailed standards outlining when unemployed people can turn down work based on health and safety concerns.

Scalia repeatedly said the issue was up to individual states, but Wyden countered that that was not the case for expanded Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, another CARES Act program that allowed the self-employed, freelancers and gig economy workers to receive unemployment benefits.

During the hearing, other Democrats expressed dissatisfaction with Scalias testimony.

Ohio Sen. Sherrod BrownSherrod Campbell BrownOhio is suddenly a 2020 battleground Democratic senators say police crackdowns undermine US response to Hong Kong Democratic senators kneel during moment of silence for George Floyd MORE (D) accused the secretary ofseeking to promotePresident TrumpDonald John TrumpMichigan to seek federal disaster declaration over broken dams Trump to make it easier for Alaska hunters to kill wolf pups and bear cubs: report Army briefs House panel on response to DC protests MORE for reelection instead of providing answers.

"We've heard the Trump commercial over and over again," Brown said after Scalia went out of his way to praise Trumps handling of the economy.

Brown has asked whether eliminating the additional benefit would disproportionately affect black and brown workers, who have significantly higher unemployment rates than white workers.

Scalia responded that African Americans had the lowest unemployment rate in history before the pandemic, echoing a frequent White House talking point.

"That was a simple yes or no and I got a commercial for the president's reelection, Brown said.

Sen. Sheldon WhitehouseSheldon WhitehouseSheldon Whitehouse leads Democrats into battle against Trump judiciary Bill aims to help farmers sell carbon credits GOP chairmen stake out turf in Obama-era probes MORE (D-R.I.) accused Scalia of filibustering, giving long-winded answers to run out the 5-minute limit each senator was given for question and answer.

"I'm starting to think you're having fun filibustering us. It's become a little bit of a sport for you to filibuster us and kind of yuk it up. I don't think that's fair to us," he said.

The rest is here:
Key Democrat accuses Labor head of 'misleading' testimony on jobless benefits | TheHill - The Hill

Both the Kansas State University economists and the Democratic staff of the Senate agriculture committee also found regional disparities in the disbursement of the aid. Joseph P. Janzen, the lead author of the Kansas State study, said the skewed benefits for cotton largely explained the disproportionately high payments to Southern farmers.

The average payment rate per acre to farms in Georgia and Texas, for instance, was more than four to five times higher after the Agriculture Department loosened the formula to calculate losses, he found. The Democratic report found that Georgia farmers led the list of top beneficiaries in the first round of payments in 2019, followed by Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Arkansas.

Its stunning really. These are states that have positive political relationships with the president, said Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, the ranking Democrat on the Senate agriculture committee. She said she wanted to help farmers recover losses, but the reality is that the administration up to this point has not distributed financial support in an equitable way.

Although economists say that the benefits should be analyzed by acre, not by state, Mr. Northey said corn- and soybean-producing states in the Midwest received more money over all than Southern states.

The Environmental Working Group, a consumer watchdog organization, raised yet another problem endemic to many subsidy programs: The biggest farms receive most of the money.

Thats because while trade relief payments were capped first at $125,000 per recipient, then at $250,000 every farm manager could apply separately for subsidies, allowing multiple payments per operation. No limit applied for those who principally relied on farming for income.

That allowed DeLine Farms Partnership in Charleston, Mo., for example, to collect more than $2.8 million in trade relief payments in two years. Farms owned by the family of Jim Justice, the billionaire Republican governor of West Virginia who is often called the richest man in the state, collected $375,000, the watchdog group said.

Continued here:
Farmers Get Billions in Virus Aid, and Democrats Are Wary - The New York Times

Security forces take measures on the sixth consecutive day of protests over police violence. Anadolu Agency/Getty Images hide caption

Security forces take measures on the sixth consecutive day of protests over police violence.

Rows of armed agents were deployed around the protests in Washington, D.C. this past week, but it was not obvious who they were: They had no name tags, no badge numbers and no emblems to identify which agencies they worked for.

Their arrival sparked shock and alarm. Now, Democratic lawmakers are calling for legislation that would make it illegal for these officers to not identify themselves.

In the Senate, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) are cosponsoring a bill that would require officers to identify themselves while "engaged in crowd control or arresting individuals involved in civil disobedience or protests in the United States."

In the House, Virginia Democrat Don Beyer, whose district is just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., is working on similar legislation.

"How do we tell these alleged federal police officers from white supremacist militia groups?" Beyer said in an interview Sunday with NPR's Weekend Edition. "How do you ever hold people accountable if you don't know what their name is?"

The federal response to protests in Washington directed in part by Attorney General William Barr -- included the deployment of officers from the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Some were stationed on the streets without identifying uniforms.

On Thursday, the Bureau of Prisons confirmed to the Dallas Morning News that it had dispatched tactical teams in response to the protests, but said in a statement, "Some federal agencies have additional information on their gear but others do not. It is common for federal law enforcement agents to identify themselves to citizens simply as federal law enforcement."

But politicians and activists argue that a lack of identification makes it difficult to hold law enforcement accountable a central aim of the mass demonstrations that have spread across the nation in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month.

"You hate to think that we're becoming a police society, but the show of force in Washington [D.C.] the past few days has made it very uncomfortable," Beyer said.

Because many of these officers were equipped with guns, batons, shields, helmets and tactical vests, Beyer said he was worried it would be difficult for even facial recognition to identify the officers.

"I don't think it's very hard to put a name tag on when we do it at every political event I've ever been to," Beyer said. "And one of the issues our legislation is going to address [is] what agency they represent, because your name can say Grant or Smith, and with dozens and dozens of federal law enforcement agencies, you'd have no way to track that person down."

Ned Wharton and Melissa Gray produced and edited this story for radio.

See the rest here:
Virginia Democrat To Propose Bill To Require Identifying Information Of Officers - NPR

Not at all. We laid the groundwork in 2018 and he wouldnt have had a competitive primary if not for what we were able to do. I think what America needs is for people like Steve King to have their voices quieted, and I think this is a huge step forward for America. What were trying to do here in the Fourth District is the same thing we did last time. Its not talking about who were against or what were against, but what were for.

But doesnt this mean you have a tougher campaign ahead?

The people who are saying this race is an uphill battle as of now are the same people who told me that last time. Were going to work our tails off, get out there with our campaign R.V., which we named Sioux City Sue. Were going to go out and earn your vote. I spent more nights in Walmart parking lots the last few months of the campaign last cycle than I did in my own bed.

Were the second biggest agriculture-producing district in America. Were 39 counties, very rural, and in order to compete and connect with folks where theyre at, youve got to get out there. This past fall we went to 38 of 39 counties and towns of under 1,000 people and we called it the Dont Forget About Us tour. Some of these communities are fighting to keep their grocery stores. Some have to drive 30 minutes to buy fresh produce. When farmers arent making a dime, something isnt adding up.

How do you change your strategy?

It literally doesnt change. We go out there and campaign everywhere and, like I said, it doesnt matter who you are, were going to invite you to the table. If you came on the road with us last time, we barely mentioned Steve King.

Theres not enough people fighting for something who are running for office. The people of the Fourth District are sick of divisive politics. Its not enough just not being Steve King. We need to have something for this district and the ability to bring people together. And thats what we plan to do.

Do you intend to make it a campaign issue that Mr. Feenstra did not attack Mr. Kings racism?

He talks about how much of a man he is of faith. And theres a Proverbs message that really is near and dear to my heart. Its Speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves, ensure justice for those being crushed. To me, the absence of all five of the Republicans even addressing the George Floyd death or any of these protests or anything like that, I feel thats a huge issue. I think thats the type of people we dont need to go to Congress.

Read more:
With Steve King Gone, Does the Democrat Have a Shot in His Iowa District? - The New York Times