RealClearInvestigations' Picks of the Week
July 12 to July 18, 2020 While the oil business is on the ropes in the coronavirus recession, the renewables that would replace fossil fuels are facing a longer-lasting challenge, Vince Bielski reports for RealClearInvestigations: Huge "green" projects aren't playing too well in Mayberry. Bielski reports on growing resistance in rural communities to mammoth solar or wind farms that can power cities: - From New York to California, local opposition is growing not so much to alternative energy per se but to the landscape-transforming size of the gargantuan projects.
- People are being turned off by wind farms with scores of 500-foot-tall turbines -- around the height of the United Nations building -- and solar spreads rivaling the square mileage of major cities.
- Virginia: The proposed buildout of solar farms in Virginia could require 490 square miles of land, about the size of Los Angeles.
- New York: Lighthouse Wind, an upstate plan to install 591-foot turbines near Lake Ontario, has been put on hold in what would be at least the 11th wind farm defeat in the state.
- California: Local opposition has placed off-limits much of sprawling San Bernadino County outside Los Angeles, the largest county in the contiguous United States. Solar developers face strong pushback over dust storms and the diversion of scarce water as well as threats to animal species.
- Michigan: A mother with a special-needs child successfully galvanized opposition to a 50-turbine wind farm in a farming region, helped by an activist who says: "Your county commissioners will not be moved by facts. They will be moved by political fear."
- Given the pushback, proponents need to be salesmen and diplomats in front of tough crowds with short tempers. The town supervisor in Yates, N.Y., says: "We got to the point where two guys at a meeting said, ‘You want to step outside?'"
The Trump-Russia collusion narrative is back for a summer rerun -- from the two top prosecutors whose own investigation failed to validate it. Disappointed by President Trump's stay-out-of-jail card for his ally Roger Stone, former Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his deputy Andrew Weissmann both penned op-ed articles in recent days making claims greatly at odds with their 2019 report finding no conspiracy with the Kremlin. In RealClearInvestigations, Aaron Maté unpacks the discrepancies, which the pair did not acknowledge (and would not comment on to RCI): - Mueller Claim, in the Washington Post: "By late 2016, the FBI had evidence that the Russians had signaled to a Trump campaign adviser that they could assist the campaign through the anonymous release of information damaging to the Democratic candidate," Hillary Clinton.
- Fact: The FBI was not acting on any evidence that "the Russians had signaled" anything to junior Trump aide George Papadopoulos, the record shows. Instead, an Australian diplomat had recounted vague hearsay from Papadopoulos -- which Papadopoulos never relayed to anyone else in the Trump campaign.
- Mueller Implication: The signal to Papadopoulos came from Maltese academic Joseph Mifsud, reputedly a Russian agent.
- Fact: The U.S. government has never formally claimed or presented evidence that Mifsud was a Russian government representative or was relaying information that he had received from Russia.
- Mueller Claim: Stone "lied about the identity of his intermediary to WikiLeaks," as well as about "the existence of written communications with his intermediary."
- Fact: Mueller's investigation failed to establish that Stone had an intermediary to WikiLeaks. (Stone was convicted for lying about his failed efforts to make contact with WikiLeaks.)
- Weissmann Claim, in the New York Times: Stone was found guilty of "lying to Congress about the coordination between the Trump 2016 campaign, Mr. Stone, WikiLeaks and Russia," so putting him before a grand jury would "get at the truth of why he lied."
- Fact: Stone's own case - and the Mueller Report, which found no conspiracy -- underscored that there was no such "coordination." That's presumably why Stone was never accused, let alone convicted, of lying about it -- and why the probers never put him before a grand jury when they had the chance.
- How to get to the bottom of the pair's claims about the Russia investigation? Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham conceivably could, through their sworn testimony under penalty of perjury.
Trump-Russia/2020 Election News Other Noteworthy Articles and Series 15 Female Redskins Workers Allege Sex Harassment
Washington Post
Fifteen former female employees of the Washington Redskins have told the Washington Post they were sexually harassed when they worked for the team. They allege that the harassment included unwelcome overtures or comments of a sexual nature, and exhortations to wear revealing clothing and flirt with clients to close sales deals. They also say the perpetrators were executives at the highest level, including the team's director of pro personnel, the former president of business operations and the former chief operating officer. In a separate article, BuzzFeed reports that former employees of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" say they faced racism, fear, and intimidation. Most blamed executive producers and other senior managers for the alleged day-to-day toxicity, but one former employee said that, ultimately, it's DeGeneres's name on the show and "she really needs to take more responsibility" for the workplace environment. Bankrupt Companies' Execs Got Big Bonuses
Bloomberg
Before the bankruptcies came the bonuses: $10 million at J.C. Penney Co., $25 million at Chesapeake Energy Corp., $1.5 million at Hertz Global Holdings Inc. That's how much was promised to executives only weeks or in some cases days before bankruptcy, according to a Bloomberg analysis of regulatory filings. This article reports that of the 100 or so major companies that have filed for bankruptcy since the coronavirus shutdown began, 19 of them have committed to paying a total of $131 million in retention and performance bonuses, a number that's poised to climb as a record number of Americans are jobless and the pandemic spreads. The companies say they need to keep their management teams to help turnaround consultants repair the damage, even when it means rewarding people who were in charge when the business began sinking. The timing of some of the bonuses, before the filing, legally heads off opposition from creditors, who can't block such payouts unless they're made after a case reaches court. Girl Jailed for Not Doing Online Schoolwork
ProPublica Illinois, Detroit Free Press and Bridge Magazine
COVID-19 has made the task of educating youthful offenders even more difficult, evidently calling for extreme measures in some cases. A 15-year-old in Michigan was jailed during the coronavirus pandemic after a judge ruled that not completing her schoolwork violated her probation. In general, juvenile courts have attempted to keep children out of detention except in the most serious cases, and they have worked to release those who were already there. A more alarming fact is mentioned in this article almost as an aside: Since moving instruction online, school districts across the country have documented tens of thousands of students who failed to log in or complete their schoolwork. They include 15,000 high school students in Los Angeles, one-third of the students in Minneapolis Public Schools and about a quarter of Chicago Public Schools students. As states decide when, how or sometimes even whether to reopen their schools this fall, those numbers suggests there is plenty of work to do. The Long Quest to Stop a 'Sugar Daddy' Judge
Reuters
In much of America, judicial oversight is so lax that misconduct by small-town judges can go unchecked. In its investigation into judicial misconduct across America, Reuters reports that it identified 5,206 people who were harmed as a result of judges who break the law or violate their sworn oaths. The victims ranged from individuals who were illegally jailed to those subjected to racist, sexist and other abusive comments or actions. This article focuses on Tim Parker, a former judge in Eureka Springs, Arkansas (population 2,000), who was investigated by various agencies for four years. Witnesses gave evidence that the judge disclosed the identity of a confidential informant; traded money and opioids for sex; and gave favorable treatment to young women in his courtroom. Despite the intense scrutiny, Parker, 58, was never charged with any crime - though his term on the bench ended in disgrace, when the state judicial commission forced his removal and resignation on what was already scheduled to be his final day in office. Coronavirus Investigations Families of Health Workers Killed by Virus Are Denied Benefits
Kaiser Health News
As the toll from COVID-19 climbs, sick workers and families of the dead face another daunting burden: fighting for benefits from workers' compensation systems that, in some states, are stacked against them. This article reports that health care workers - including nurses' aides, physician assistants and maintenance workers - have faced denials or long-shot odds of getting benefits paid because in some states COVID-19 falls into a long-standing category of diseases like a cold or the flu which are not covered by workers' compensation. Other states force workers to prove they caught the virus at work, rather than from a family member or in the community. At least 16 states and Puerto Rico have passed measures to make it easier for workers infected with the coronavirus to qualify for benefits for lost wages, hospital bills or death. Similar bills are pending in other states, but some face opposition from business groups over costs. Intel: Russian Hackers Trying to Steal Vaccine Research
Washington Post
At first blush this news sounds alarming: Security officials announcing that hackers linked to Russia's intelligence services were actively trying to steal information from researchers working to produce coronavirus vaccines in the United States, Britain and Canada. Stealing is, of course wrong - unless you're Jean Valjean, who stole the loaf of bread to feed his starving family in "Les Miserables." The World Health Organization reports that of the more than 160 vaccines being developed, 23 have begun clinical trials in humans, including top candidates being developed in Britain, Canada and the United States. Russia is developing 26 vaccines, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said, but only two are undergoing clinical trials. Is Russia wrong for trying to acquire life-saving information it can't produce on its own? In a separate article, the Virginian-Pilot reports that a Navy sailor stationed in Portsmouth is facing charges that he gave classified information to a Russian. McKinsey Getting $100M Advising on Virus Response
ProPublica
The quick response demanded by COVID-19 has produced a string of lucrative, often no-bid contracts for one of America's most connected consulting firms, McKinsey & Co. This article reports that in the four months since the pandemic started, the firm has been awarded work for state, city and federal agencies worth well over $100 million. Battalions of McKinsey's trademark dark-suited young MBAs have advised leaders in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York ,Tennessee and Virginia as well as the federal government. While government officials note that no-bid contracts are legal and provide flexibility during a national emergency, others have questioned McKinsey's contribution. "Basically, they are compiling data for us," a top official in Florida's Miami-Dade County wrote in an internal email obtained by ProPublica. "And putting it in pretty formats." NY: Rich Skipped Town, and Census. Too Bad for the Poor.
New York Times
The flight of wealthy New Yorkers to second homes in order to escape COVID-19 may hurt the state in unexpected ways. This article focuses on its effects on the Census, which the federal government uses to calculate financial aid and political representation. Rich neighborhoods that have long been bastions of Census compliance - including the Upper East Side, Midtown, Soho and Little Italy - now have some of the worst response rates in the city. One issue seems to be a mail delivery regulation: Even if New Yorkers have asked the Postal Service to forward mail to their second homes, Census forms are addressed to the household, not the individual, which — unless New Yorkers pay for premium forwarding — prevents the post office from including them with the forwarded mail. "The Census is going to be another victim of the pandemic," said Liz Krueger, a Democratic state senator. "I absolutely believe that. It's going to really screw us. We're going to lose congressional seats and money." Also Coronavirus-Related Unraveling the Deadly New Coronavirus Associated Press
Toxic Culture of Racial Aggressions' at CDC NPR
Surplus Lab Mice Killed En Masse as Virus Cuts Testing Guardian
Why Do Bats Have So Many Viruses? Washington Post |
