LAST FRIDAY THE PRESIDNT GAVE THE OKAY TO REOPEN CHURCHES. BUT INSLEE WANTS TO CONTINUE HIS SLUG PACE of Phasing!

 

The FOX news broadcast on Friday May 22. 

See video: 

SUNDAY: Hoping to hear church bells ringing on Sunday was instead was cold silence. It turns out churches remain close due to fears of the covid-19. Churches on their own accord remain closed, even though the President ordered the state governor including our Governor Jay Inslee, who issued no response to the Present Trump, ignored the order, and issued the follow guidlines on how he intends to reopen Churches, you guess it. By continued Social distancing, limiting people inside, and out side services. To me if you dictate the number people inside the church you are telling the churches how to conduct thier business. That is now how churches are run! This Governor wants to keep his grasp on how we live in Washington state. 

Related news story from the NYT: As Trump Pushes for Reopenings, Congregations Choose Safety Over Haste

Houses of worship are balancing the desire to reopen and worship together against the health consequences of moving too fast.

The following was issued on Thursday 5/28/29

Inslee announces religious and faith-based services guidance

Limited outdoor services may begin immediately and limited indoor services may begin in Phase 2.

Press release issued 5/27/20

Gov. Jay Inslee today announced the state’s plan for restarting religious and faith-based services for Phases 1 and 2 of Washington’s “Safe Start” reopening plan.

Beginning today, religious and faith-based organizations in Phase 1 counties may host up to 100 people for outdoor services. In Phase 2, they can host up to 25% of their capacity or 50 individuals, whichever is less, as well as conduct in-home services of five people.

As I have said before, this crisis may affect our ability to physically connect but it should not affect our power to strengthen our emotional connections,” Inslee said during a press conference Wednesday. “I have been heartened to see the ways religious groups found to not only continue to connect, but to give back and to support their communities in this time of suffering and uncertainty.”

The religious services covered include all worship services, religious study classes, religious ceremonies, religious holiday celebrations, weddings, and funerals. Choirs are not allowed, but singing may be done with face coverings. This is because the virus is transmitted through breathing: The louder voices are projected, the farther germs travel.

Organizations will be expected to meet requirements to protect employees, members, visitors and volunteers. These requirements include protections such as social distancing and face coverings, environmental cleaning, providing PPE, and educating employees about COVID-19 and how to prevent transmission.

“We appreciate the governor and his team being thoughtful, prudent and measured as we figure out how to best exit from this pandemic and the lock down. Saving lives, community safety and the well-being of the most vulnerable among us are of paramount importance for Muslims, given the teachings of Islam. Working with the governor’s office and public health officials, we have to collaboratively determine how to best move forward preserving human life and health while also finding a path to safely return to our places of worship, our places of business and our places of enjoyment,” said Aneelah Afzali, executive director of the American Muslim Empowerment Network at the Muslim Association of Puget Sound.

“Faith communities have adapted to stay connected in creative and extraordinary ways during the height of this pandemic. We welcome the governor’s measured and gradual approach to reconvening in person that puts community health first and reminds us that we are all each other’s neighbors,” said Michael Ramos, executive director of the Church Council of Greater Seattle.

“As the three Lutheran bishops in the State of Washington serving in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, we wish to thank and affirm the governor for the thoughtful and cautious way in which he is guiding our State during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Rev. Shelley Bryan Wee, bishop of the Northwest Washington Synod.

“We, the Catholic Bishops of the State of Washington, are encouraged by the governor’s directives today allowing people of faith to resume public worship. These directives are evidence of the good fruits which are born from patient dialogue and commitment to the public health and the common good,” said the Catholic Bishops of the State of Washington in a joint statement.

All organizations are strongly encouraged, but not required, to keep a voluntary log of attendees from services or counseling sessions and retain the information for at least two weeks to assist in contact tracing if an outbreak were to occur.

“We have made tremendous progress, and with Washingtonians united, I know we will continue moving out of this crisis in a safe and healthy way,” Inslee said.

The guidance is available here.

During the press conference, the governor also announced that three new counties have been approved by the secretary of health for variance to move to Phase 2. This brings the total of counties approved to 24.

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Senator Murray Demands More Data After Trump Administration Submits Embarrassingly Skimpy Report on COVID-19 Health Disparities.

(Washington, D.C.) –U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Senate health committee sent a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar demanding the Trump Administration update and resubmit the “report” it provided regarding COVID-19 demographic data. Senator Murray made clear the Administration’s submission fails to meet the requirements of the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act and pressed for an updated version with comprehensive demographic data.

“The Report was woefully inadequate and we urge you to rewrite and resubmit the Report in order to meet your statutory obligation. As written, the Report provides no new insight into the devastating health disparities that communities across America are experiencing as a result of COVID-19. In fact, it simply repackages what was already readily available on the internet. Congress included this reporting requirement in the Payment Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act because a comprehensive report is necessary to fully understand and address the disproportionate impact this crisis is having on communities of color and other underserved communities,” wrote Senator Murray.

The Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act required the Trump Administration to submit to Congress a report on COVID-19 testing that includes available “data on demographic characteristics, including, in a de-identified and disaggregated manner, race, ethnicity, age, sex, geographic region and other relevant factors of individuals tested for or diagnosed with COVID–19,” and “information on the number and rates of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths as a result of COVID–19.”

In response to this requirement, the Trump Administration submitted a four-page document that merely provided a list of links to existing, already public, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention web pages that include limited data on testing and demographic characteristics.

Senator Murray continued, “The Trump Administration must stop ignoring the disproportionate impact this crisis is having on communities of color, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ communities, and other underserved communities and make some effort to expand the evidence base, as called for by the law. We are disappointed this Congressional mandate has been so carelessly flouted and strongly urge you to resubmit a report that not only includes comprehensive demographic data, but also meets the basic requirements of the law.”

Senator Murray has been focused on ensuring that traditionally marginalized groups that have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic get the relief and assistance they need: last week, Senator Murray pressed Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia on how the Department Labor planned to support communities of color experiencing magnified economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

WORLD NEWS HEADLINES:

COVID-19: Act now or risk ‘unimaginable devastation’ globally, warns UN chief.

Unless countries across the world act together now, the COVID-19 pandemic will cause “unimaginable devastation and suffering around the world”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Thursday at a virtual high-level meeting on financing for development.

Yemen: Humanitarians seeking $2.41 billion to keep aid flowing amid COVID-19 pandemic.

UN agencies and their global partners are seeking $2.41 billion to fight COVID-19 spread in Yemen while continuing to support millions affected by the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

On Peacekeepers Day, UN to spotlight vital role of women peace operations

In observance of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, on Friday, Secretary-General António Guterres will lay a wreath to pay tribute to all the UN blue helmets who have lost their lives since 1948.

COVID-19: A ‘new and deadly threat’ for civilians caught up in violence.

Innocent civilians trapped in violence now face “a new and deadly threat” from COVID-19, the UN chief told the Security Council on Wednesday, warning that the pandemic is “amplifying and exploiting the fragilities of our world”.

‘Lockdown generation’ of young workers will need extra help after COVID-19, urges UN labour chief.

Further evidence of the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 on the global job market has emerged in a new study by the UN labour agency, which on Wednesday said that more than one in six young people have stopped working since the onset of the pandemic.

Countries need to do more to stop harmful marketing of breast-milk substitutes, says UN.

Despite efforts to stop the harmful promotion of breast-milk substitutes, countries are still falling short in protecting parents from misleading information, according to a new UN report released Wednesday. 

WHO Foundation to broaden funding base for global health investment.

A new foundation launched on Wednesday will generate funding for the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners by tapping non-traditional sources, including the public.

FEATURE STORY

********************

Feature News Story: Van Jones: Forget the KKK, it's the 'white, liberal Hillary Clinton supporter' we should worry about---From the Washington Times

Page 7 Commentary: LONG WAY FROM MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

GOOD FOR CLALLAM...THEY GOTTEN THEIR WISH FROM KING INSLEE!

****Front page Commendatory, By Peter Ripley***********

Clallam now on short list for Phase 2 application. 
Health official: County doesn’t meet all criteria yet.----PDN Story
Quote:" Phase 2 allows outdoor recreation and gatherings of up to five people.

Businesses allowed to reopen under the second phase of Inslee’s plan are remaining manufacturing, additional construction phases, in-home/domestic services, retail with restrictions, real estate, professional services and office-based businesses, hair and nail salons and barbers, pet grooming and restaurants or taverns with less than 50 percent capacity."


Editorial note: 
With all these changing of the rules regarding "phasing to reopening". One may this he's just continuing to hold on to power, and kicking the can down the road to fully reopening."
People are demanding to fully restore our civil liberties, yet this governor refuses to listen to we Washingtonians!

The following article from the Federalist with the headline: It’s Time To Let America Back To Work For The Sake Of Its Sanity

Quote: Lifting the lock downs to allow Americans reclaim their dignity through meaningful work is the first step in saving the nation's rapidly deteriorating psyche.
Is exactly how I feel about our circumstances here in Washington State. I can probably say the same thing about other Democrat run states. Who has been holding their people hostage because they what to trash state's economy for the DNC to blame Trump!

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Kilmer, Brooks, Sewell, Thompson Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Help Unemployed American Workers Access Skills Training Programs During Coronavirus Pandemic.
Press release issued 5/20/20

The Skills Renewal Act creates a flexible $4,000 skills training credit for newly unemployed Americans, will allow workers to access their choice of training programs and gain skills expected to be in high demand in coming years
Tacoma, WA – Today, U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06), along with Representatives Susan W. Brooks (IN-05), Terri Sewell (AL-07), and Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15), introduced legislation to help American workers attain the skills they need to compete as we confront the coronavirus pandemic. The Skills Renewal Act will create a flexible skills training credit in the amount of $4,000 per person that may be applied to cover the cost of a wide range of training programs that build skills expected to be in high demand by employers in the coming months. The credit will be made available to any worker who has lost their job as a result of the pandemic in 2020 and the credit may be applied to cover training expenses incurred through the end of 2021.

The tax credit is fully refundable—which means it will be available to all workers, including low-income workers with no federal income tax liability. The credit may be applied to offset the cost, on a dollar-by-dollar basis, of training programs located anywhere along the post secondary pipeline—including apprenticeships, stackable credentials, certificate programs, and traditional two- and four-year programs. To maximize participation, distance learning programs will also be included.

U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Ben Sasse (R-NE), along with Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Tim Scott (R-SC), are introducing a companion bill in the Senate.

“In addition to being the largest public health crisis of our lifetime, the COVID-19 pandemic is proving to be the most significant economic challenge since the Great Depression. As the economy reopens, American workers need to be empowered to navigate the substantial economic changes ahead,” said Rep. Kilmer. “The bipartisan Skills Renewal Act will help anyone who has lost their job as a result of the COVID-19 enroll in apprenticeships, college classes, or retraining programs so they can learn new skills, land new jobs, and earn a good living.”

“We know as a result of this devastating pandemic many in our workforce who lost their jobs are facing incredibly difficult financial burdens,” said Rep. Brooks. "The key to their future is giving them the necessary tools to find a new job. This bipartisan legislation will incentivize Americans to improve their skills through apprenticeships, stackable credentials, and college courses so they can help to restart our nation’s economic engine and thrive in the post pandemic economy."

“As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, nearly 450,000 Alabamians have filed for unemployment in the last two months alone. It is critical that these Alabamians have access to the tools they need to get back to work quickly in good, high-paying jobs,” said Rep. Sewell. "The Skills Renewal Act invests in our workers and in our economy by making available a $4,000 tax credit for those who have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus, and enroll in training programs and college courses now that will prepare them with skills to help them succeed in the future.”

“COVID-19 has shown us just how much the country depends upon a skilled and trained workforce," said Rep. Thompson. “The Skills Renewal Act will support individuals who have become unemployed as a result of the pandemic and will support career and technical education opportunities such as apprenticeships and certificate programs. I pleased to support this bipartisan legislation that invests in the country's number one resource, our people.”

In 2018, Reps. Kilmer and Thompson introduced the Skills Investment Act to expand Coverdell Education Savings Accounts to cover skills training, career-related learning, and professional development.

The legislation is endorsed by the following groups: Third Way; Aspen Institute Future of Work Initiative; and National Skills Coalition.

"Unemployment Insurance provides important short-term financial relief to people who have lost work through no fault of their own. The Skills Renewal Act offers a crucial next step, providing financial support for unemployed and furloughed workers to access high-quality training opportunities to upgrade their existing skills and transition to sectors of the labor market where opportunities are expanding," said Alastair Fitzpayne, Executive Director, Aspen Institute Future of Work Initiative.

“In the midst of a global pandemic and looming economic recession, we desperately need big and bold thinking to rescue American workers. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Ben Sasse (R-NE) have answered that call with the Skills Renewal Act. The Skills Training Credit this legislation creates is an essential tool to help tens of millions of unemployed Americans afford postsecondary credential programs that will help them advance their careers and re-enter the workforce,” said Gabe Horwitz, Senior Vice President, Economic Program, Third Way.

"Bold action is required to help newly unemployed Americans find their footing and begin preparing for life after the pandemic,” Klobuchar said. “This new legislation will help Americans gain skills that will be in demand for years to come and position them to rapidly reenter the workforce with increased earning potential as soon as businesses begin hiring again.”

“Our economy was changing rapidly before this nasty virus and the current economic crisis is going to speed things up,” Sasse said. “We have to make sure that Americans have the skills we need to compete. Workers who are using this bumpy time to update their skills and retrain for new jobs are going to be a big part of that comeback, and we ought to reward them for their perseverance and grit. We’re going to come out of this stronger.”

“As we continue dealing with the COVID-19 crisis, we must come together to develop and implement innovative strategies to get people back to work,” Booker said. “This bipartisan bill will enable laid-off workers to access rigorous, evidence-based training programs, helping ease the barriers to re-entering the workforce. In doing so, we can train and build a workforce that is stronger and more dynamic than ever before.” 

“The COVID-19 epidemic has significantly altered our economy, and we should take smart, impactful steps to ensure American workers have access to the tools and training they need to succeed as the recovery process begins,” Scott said. “We know the longer people are unemployed, the harder it is for them to rejoin the workforce. The SKILLS Renewal Act will provide workers with the resources they need to keep their skills sharp while they are out of work, either through distance learning or more traditional methods such as apprenticeships.”

IN WORLD NEWS HEADLINES:

UN agencies join forces to protect forcibly displaced during pandemic.
To strengthen and advance public health services for millions of forcibly displaced people globally, two United Nations signed an agreement on Thursday to better protect some 70 million from COVID-19.

UN launches new initiative to fight COVID-19 misinformation through ‘digital first responders’

Nature ‘strongest ally’ to building sustainable planet.
Nature is humankind’s ‘strongest ally’ to help build a sustainable planet, according to a Malaysian biodiversity expert, whose organization is supported by the UN Development Programme, (UNDP).

Only Venezuelans can resolve Venezuela’s deepening crisis, DiCarlo tells Security Council.
Negotiations remain the only way to overcome the ongoing political deadlock in Venezuela, especially given the potentially far-reaching impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Wednesday.

Tedros hails WHO ‘landmark resolution’ to accelerate COVID-19 response
With  “unprecedented solidarity”, the World Health Assembly adopted a “landmark resolution” on Tuesday, which sets out a “clear roadmap” of the actions needed to sustain and accelerate the COVID-19 response at both national and international levels, the UN health agency chief told a press briefing on Wednesday, the day after the meeting concluded. 

Human development backslides, education at global levels ‘not seen since the 1980s’
School closures, to stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, have left some 60 per cent of the world’s children without an education, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said in its new report, launched on Wednesday.

Stand in solidarity to preserve Africa’s hard-won progress, urges UN chief.
The coronavirus pandemic threatens the hard-earned gains Africans have made throughout the continent, the UN chief said on Wednesday, urging the world to stand in solidarity with the people, “now, and for recovering better”.



COMMENTARY:

IT TOOK TRUMP TO REOPEN CHURCHES BY PRESIDENTIAL ORDER..
OUR GOVERNOR GAVE NO REMARKS ON THE ORDER. (page 7)

THE MESSAGE TO INSLEE, STOP TREATING WASHINGTONIANS AS CHILDREN!

**********************************************
FRONT PAGE COMMENTARY, BY Peter Ripley---

Many people in Washington, are fed up with Daddy Worbucks Jay Inlee, and the following letter from state Braun reflects Washington attitude against Governor Inslee's edicts, on social distancing and his stay at home rules.

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 Sen. John Braun: An Open Letter to Governor Inslee
A commentary posted on the Washington State News wire post on May 11th 2020

Dear Governor,

Trust Washingtonians. Please.

Washingtonians are a generous, compassionate, well-intentioned people who care about the safety and well-being of those around them.

They have earned the right to be trusted to act in a way that is in the best interest of their families, neighbors, communities, and state. They care deeply about protecting the safety of themselves and those they love. They’ve never needed the government to tell them how to do so.

Businesses, particularly local small businesses, rely on word of mouth and reputation. It is in their own interest to ensure that customers and employees feel safe as possible. That’s just what businesses do, and anyone who’s ever run a business knows this.

While I have no doubt your intentions are in the right place, a system of government that dictates to 7.6 million Washingtonians what to do and how to do it – every waking moment of the day – will never work. What’s desperately needed is a government that informs people what the objective is and gives people discretion and room to navigate to accomplish that aim.

Tell Washingtonians the objective: control and limit the spread of COVID-19, so as to protect the lives of your fellow citizens. Continue to arm and inform them of best practices, such as wearing a mask, so as to protect others if you’re an asymptomatic carrier; engaging in social distancing, self-quarantining if you’re feeling ill, and utilizing good hygiene.

Do that, Governor, and then trust Washingtonians. Gone will be the illusory and emotionally cruel distinction between “essential” and “non-essential” businesses and workers. People will make their own choices about what is appropriate for them and their families. Some will choose to stay at home, rarely venturing out. Others will get back to doing what they love and serving those around them in a manner that protects their community. And our economy can begin to recover.

Not so long ago you told the Legislature how you “really believe in the state of Washington.” If you meant those words, then believe in our state now. Washingtonians will rise to the challenge.

While I would love to end my plea there, and that was my original intent, you said something during your May 8 press conference that is unbecoming of your office. It merits a response.

You characterized Republicans’ approach to this virus as “abject surrender.” Shame on you, Governor. We all want what is best for the citizens of this state. We are all operating in completely uncharted waters here. The fact that we legitimately have different perspectives on how to achieve that aim doesn’t make one “good” and the other “evil”.

Let me be clear: there is no Republican or Democrat plan to solve this virus. Science dictates how this virus gets solved, and every bit of science out there right now tells us it’s done in one of three ways: (1) individual immunity, when a person catches COVID19 and recovers; (2) community immunity, commonly known as “herd” immunity; or (3) vaccine immunity, when either a vaccine or treatment methods are developed that no longer makes this virus fatal.

That’s it. Those are the options. While we wait and work for any or all combinations of those options to become a reality, we of course continue to believe people should wear masks in public as a way to protect others, practice social distancing and avoid large congregate gatherings.

But we also believe the following:

Higher priority should be placed on those at highest risk, meaning elderly, fragile individuals in long-term care settings. Government’s response to-date has been nothing short of tragic – a fact hidden until recently because the state is failing to report certain data.

Issuing 22-point requirements on what a car-wash business must follow in order to be allowed to operate, including “Requirement #4: Arrange furniture in a manner that promotes social distancing” is beyond the pale and symptomatic of a government-knows-best mentality that is wholly detached from reality and historically replete with error.

Most importantly, we believe individual Washingtonians are the ones best
equipped to make decisions about their health, their communities, their
businesses, and those around them. Our job as their elected leaders is to support them in doing that.

Nothing but harm is caused by hyperbole and aspersions. We are all in this together, and we must be able to engage in an honest and forthright dialogue with each other. Let this crisis bring out the best in us, not the worst.

In conclusion, I ask you to permit Washingtonians the opportunity to be rational decision makers. They won’t disappoint you, Governor. They will rise to the challenge and help ensure this virus does not get the better of us as a state.

The people of Washington have been trusting you. It’s time for you to trust them.
Sincerely,
John Braun

Senator Murray Introduces New Legislation to Help Renters During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Press release issued 5/ 13/ 20

(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), announced new legislation to assist renters during the on-going COVID-19 crisis. The bill, the Emergency Rental Assistance and Rental Market Stabilization Act of 2020, would establish a program to provide $100 billion in emergency rental assistance to help families and individuals pay their rent and remain housed during and after the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Congressman Denny Heck (D-WA, 10th) and Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA, 43rd) introduced a companion bill in the House of Representatives, and provisions from the bill are included in House Democrats’ recently released coronavirus aid package, the HEROES Act.

“Families in Washington state and across the country are struggling to keep a roof over their heads during this pandemic, and as Congress begins negotiating the next round of federal relief funding, I’m going to keep fighting to make sure it includes vital rental assistance to help protect public health and keep our families and communities safe and healthy,” Senator Murray said.

Specifically, the bill would authorize $100 billion for an Emergency Rental Assistance program to help families and individuals pay their rent and utility bills and remain housed during and after the COVID-19 crisis. Additionally, the program would provide funds to communities, states, and tribes through an existing federal temporary rental assistance program to facilitate the rapid distribution of funds through an already-available administrative and reporting system.

Stabilizing renters and the rental market through this crisis will help the economy recover from the economic aftershocks of the current emergency, and Senator Murray has consistently fought to secure vital housing assistance for Washington state families during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, And Economic Security (CARES) Act, Senator Murray successfully fought to include $7 billion in total assistance for affordable housing and homelessness assistance programs, including more than $50 million for Washington state through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and $6.25 million for Washington state Tenant-Based Rental Assistance. This past March, Senator Murray also pushed Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson to provide Public Housing Authorities with the resources and information that they need to safely and effectively do their jobs during this pandemic. 




WORLD NEWS HEADLINES:

From the UN News Center.

UN leads call to protect most vulnerable from mental health crisis during and after COVID-19.
Decades of neglect and underinvestment in addressing people’s mental health needs have been exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN said on Thursday, in a call for ambitious commitments from countries in the way they treat psychological illness, amid a potential global spike in suicides and drug abuse.

Coronavirus ‘grim reality’: World economy to shrink by 3.2 per cent, new UN report projects.
Against the backdrop of the raging COVID-19 pandemic, the world economy in 2020 is projected to shrink by 3.2 per cent, racking up some $8.5 trillion in overall losses – wiping out nearly four years of output gains, according to a mid-year economic analysis by the United Nations.

Take ‘all appropriate public health measures’ to protect detainees from coronavirus, UN urges.
UN agency chiefs on Wednesday highlighted the heightened vulnerability to COVID-19 of detainees, and others in confinement, urging Governments to take “all appropriate public health measures” to keep them safe from the deadly disease. 

South Sudan: Coronavirus cases confirmed inside UN civilian protection site.
The South Sudanese Government has confirmed that two cases of COVID-19 have been identified inside a Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in the capital, Juba, although the world’s youngest nation has been relatively unscathed by the pandemic, with 74 cases recorded so far.

COVID-19 could help turn the tide on ocean health in Asia-Pacific.
The COVID-19 pandemic could help turn the tide on the well-being of oceans in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a UN report published on Wednesday.

Hong Kong urged to drop prosecutions of leading activists, not to silence peaceful protest.
Independent UN human rights experts urged Hong Kong authorities on Wednesday to immediately drop the criminal prosecution of 15 pro-democracy activists who participated in peaceful protests across the Special Administrative Region of China last year.

COVID-19 pandemic ‘quickly becoming a child rights crisis': Daily death rate could spike by 6,000 for under-fives





COMMENTARY

Will Inslee kick the can down the road again to fully reopen the State? ( page 7)

OUR STATE REPS, SENDS LETTER TO INSLEE TO OPEN CLALLAM COUNTY EARLY!

But, will Inslee respond favorably?

FRONT PAGE COMMENTARY
By Peter Ripley

Editorial Note: It will be interesting to see if Inslee would grant this "bread crumb" to help our rural communities to reopen business, churches, and so on or not. Given this governor's need to control on the state, and his desire to destroy all of Washington State's economy in an effort to destroy President Trump chances? That's the latest conspiracy that's been forwarded that the states run by Democrats are deliberately, trashing their state's economies to destroy Trump, if that's the case, you thing this governor is going to give this bread crumb to us? Thus far he has been slow to reopen the entire state like a slug making it's way down a sidewalk. While jobless rates go up, more and more businesses closing their doors for good! Does this sound like someone who really cares about Washington's economy? Or, more for his need to conform to the DNC agenda?
According to the news paper of record here in Port Angeles Wa, the Peninsula Daily News, with the head line dated 5/ 6/ 20
Legislators urge Clallam County be added to Phase 2 list
Other District 24 counties eligible for earlier opening.
OLYMPIA — The three state legislators representing District 24 want to see Clallam County added to the list of those that can apply for an earlier roll-out of Phase 2 activities than other counties in the recovery from COVID-19 restrictions.
Quoted from Article:  Said Chapman of Port Angeles in a phone interview Tuesday: “Our economy is really struggling out here. We are at the end of the line. … We have got to have people back to work.”



IS IT TIME TO KICK INSLESS OUT OF OFFICE?

Yes, sign to petition to impeach Governor Inslee!
Governor Jay Inslee has been elected into office and has not done anything for Washington State. We are currently experiencing RIOTS in our streets but he has not publicly done or said anything about what is going on except about a racist remark spray painted on a MLK building in Spokane, Inslee keeps on beating around the bush to not stir any conflict up.
Inslee also would like and wants to go through with a state income tax as well. Under Inslee's belt our public schools are not getting funded the way we the tax payers voted for and the state is getting find thousands of dollars a day that it is not funded.
Why should we allow a govenor who is not doing anything for our state sit back, and kick his feet up , collecting a paycheck with our tax payer dollars paying his salary when he's afraid to get his feet wet not doing anything. Inslee is taking credit for creating jobs as well when it was by the work of others. We don't need another Hillary Clinton in our state capital!
( Yes I signed this)

Senator Murray Urges USDA to Target Relief to Local Farmers in Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.

Press release issued 5/ 4/ 20

(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), joined a bipartisan group of senators in urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to target COVID-19 relief provisions to reach local farmers in Washington state and across the country in the new Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). USDA created CFAP to administer relief funding Congress provided in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. While the CARES Act specifically provides direct assistance to local food producers, USDA has not announced specific details on how this relief will be targeted to local farmers. In a letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, Senator Murray and her colleagues urged USDA once again to take steps to reach local farmers with assistance.

“While USDA mentioned that the direct producer assistance program would be made available to producers of all sizes – including local producers, as required by the CARES Act – we are disappointed that there were no specific details on how this assistance will be tailored to the unique challenges that local producers face, or how the Department will conduct outreach to beginning and undeserved farmers,” the senators wrote.

Senator Murray and her colleagues also specifically urged USDA to support local farmers by:

Adjusting the CFAP payment calculations to better reflect the business models of local producers;
Amending the covered time period to better reflect when local producers experienced losses; and
Developing a robust and inclusive outreach plan to ensure all local food producers – including those with limited internet access and those for whom English is not their first language – are aware of the benefits available to them under the CFAP.
“While we appreciate USDA’s efforts to implement the CFAP with local food producers in mind, we encourage you to incorporate these recommendations as you finalize the CFAP program to ensure local producers are able to participate. By adjusting the mechanism USDA uses to calculate CFAP payments for local food producers, changing the covered time period to reflect those losses experienced after April 15, 2020, and implementing a robust and inclusive outreach plan to reach all local food producers, including new farmers, we can help minimize the significant burden COVID-19 has placed on our local producers,” the senators wrote.

Additionally, Senator Murray and her colleagues pressed USDA for information it has yet to provide on how it will conduct outreach to ensure the participation of beginning, underserved, and local food producers in the direct producer assistance program. The lawmakers urged USDA once again to develop a robust outreach plan that provides technical assistance and ensures local farmers are able to participate in the direct producer assistance program.

Earlier this month, Senator Murray and her colleagues sent a letter urging the Trump Administration to provide relief for local farmers who are struggling, and pushed USDA to ensure that a portion of the $9.5 billion they secured in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act goes to local farmers who sell directly to consumers, schools, institutions, food hubs, regional distribution centers, retail markets, farmers markets and restaurants. USDA has yet to respond.

Letter sent:
Dear Secretary Perdue,

We write to follow up on our April 9, 2020 letter regarding U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) relief for local food producers, and to urge USDA to incorporate provisions specific to local food producers as the Agency finalizes the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). Specifically, we urge USDA to provide support for local food producers by: 1) adjusting the CFAP payment calculations to better reflect the business models of local producers; 2) amending the covered time period to more appropriately reflect when local producers experienced losses; and 3) developing an inclusive outreach plan to ensure all local food producers – including those with limited internet access and those for whom English is not their first language – are aware of the benefits available to them under the CFAP.

On April 17, 2020, USDA announced the new CFAP, which will provide a total of $19 billion in COVID-19 relief provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, including $16 billion for direct assistance to producers and $3 billion for commodity purchases and food distribution. While USDA mentioned that the direct producer assistance program would be made available to producers of all sizes – including local producers, as required by the CARES Act – we are disappointed that there were no specific details on how this assistance will be tailored to the unique challenges that local producers face, or how the Department will conduct outreach to beginning and underserved farmers.

Many local food producers sell a wide variety of crops, specialty crops, and livestock to a variety of local and regional markets. Often, specific records of sales are generalized into broad categories such as produce or livestock but not broken into specific sales by commodity. For example, these producers may have $100,000 in produce sales a year but may not be able to distinguish how much of a specific type of produce is sold at a farmers market versus directly to a restaurant or school. This type of commerce makes it extremely difficult for local food producers to participate in a generic “one size fits all” direct assistance program.

Given this complexity, we recommend that USDA calculate payments based on total farm revenue and consider price premiums for diversified producers, organics, and value-added producers. We also recommend implementation of flexible paperwork requirements that allow more producers to participate in the program and account for different types of record keeping that may be used to sell into local markets.

During USDA’s public announcement, it was suggested that the direct producer assistance would cover up to 85 percent of losses incurred between January and April 15, 2020 and cover up to 30 percent of losses incurred after April 15, 2020. Many producers selling directly to restaurants or schools did not see an economic impact of the COVID-19 disaster until states began issuing stay at home orders and closed non-essential businesses. This occurred in most places starting in mid-March and could continue for several months into the future. We recommend USDA adjust the window of 85 percent coverage to reflect the time period during which farmers have experienced – and continue to experience – significant losses and additional costs as a result of widespread closure of businesses and institutions during the COVID-19 disaster.

In addition, USDA has not provided information on how it will conduct outreach to ensure the participation of beginning, underserved, and local food producers in the direct producer assistance program. Some of these producers already face existing barriers to entry including limited access to internet, English as a second language, and limited technical skills. We recommend USDA develop a thorough outreach plan that provides technical assistance and ensures these producers are able to participate in the direct to producer assistance program.

On top of these existing challenges, local food producers are in the middle of high planting season and many do not have existing relationships with USDA. These producers may struggle to learn a new federal program in time to participate before funding runs out so we request that USDA track farmer program participation and require receipt for service at local Farm Service Agency offices.

While we appreciate USDA’s efforts to implement the CFAP with local food producers in mind, we encourage you to incorporate these recommendations as you finalize the CFAP program to ensure local producers are able to participate. By adjusting the mechanism USDA uses to calculate CFAP payments for local food producers, changing the covered time period to reflect those losses experienced after April 15, 2020, and implementing an outreach plan to reach all local food producers, including new farmers, we can help minimize the significant burden COVID-19 has placed on our local producers.

Thank you for quickly implementing the CFAP; we appreciate your attention to the specific needs and serious challenges faced by local food producers and look forward to working with you on additional targeted relief efforts.

Editorial Note: Farmer's wouldn't need food assistance if the State of Washington under Jay Inslee hadn't shut down the state in the first place. In my opinion!

WORLD NEWS HEADLINES:

From the UN news service.

COVID-19: UN and partners launch $6.7 billion appeal for vulnerable countries
Humanitarians are seeking nearly $7 billion to protect millions of lives and halt the spread of COVID-19 in more than 60 of the world’s most fragile countries.

Coronavirus: Health system overload threatens pregnant women and newborn.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates that 116 million babies have been born since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and on Thursday called for governments to maintain lifesaving services for pregnant women and newborns that are under increasing threat from strained health services and supply chains.

Protecting the displaced in the time of COVID-19
Refugees and displaced people living in camps are amongst the most vulnerable communities across the world and more likely to catch COVID-19 than others, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Senior UN official calls for universal basic income to tackle growing inequality.
The COVID-19 pandemic is not only a health crisis, but it is also proving to be an economic disaster for huge numbers of people worldwide. A senior UN official with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) is calling for countries to provide citizens with a universal basic income, to help the millions who have lost their jobs, because of measures to curb the virus, combined with increasing levels of inequality.

Venezuelans ‘teetering on the brink of survival’ warn UN human rights experts
United Nations independent experts demanded on Wednesday that the Venezuelan Government take concrete actions to tackle the devastating impact on basic human rights of the country’s economic crisis.

Corruption, political blockages, threaten international efforts to help Bosnia and Herzegovina weather coronavirus.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is weathering the COVID-19 outbreak better than some other nations, but there’s a real danger that corruption will undermine global efforts to help it contain the pandemic, the international community’s High Representative to the Western Balkan country told the Security Council on Wednesday.

Attacks on civilians, arbitrary arrests, top list of abuses in Libya: ICC Prosecutor.
Unabated violence, particularly in and around the Libyan capital, has now been raging for more than a year, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) told the Security Council in a virtual briefing on Tuesday, warning that war crimes may have been committed.



Commentary: The two bug threat---Killer Hornet, and Gypsy Moth! ( page 7)

Kilmer Joins Federal Lawmakers Pushing for Strong Testing System in Washington State, Nationwide
Lawmakers: “As communities across the country need accurate information to make decisions about next steps, not having a coordinated evidence-based testing strategy is a recipe for disaster”
Press release issued 4/ 28/ 20

Tacoma, WA – Today, U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06) joined U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Representative Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08), and the Washington state Democratic Congressional Delegation in sending a letter to Vice President Mike Pence requesting that the Trump Administration devise a plan to significantly increase testing capabilities in Washington state and across the country and develop a strong national testing system. The letter follows the passage of the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, which invested $25 billion in COVID-19 testing and requires the federal government to develop a plan to scale up testing. U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), as well as Representatives Adam Smith (WA-09), Rick Larsen (WA-02), Suzan K. DelBene (WA-01), Denny Heck (WA-10), and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) also signed-on to the letter.

“Public health officials in Washington state and across the country require a strong testing system to get the information they need to determine when our states and communities can begin eventual reductions in social distancing efforts without compromising public health,” the lawmakers wrote. “As communities across the country need accurate information to make decisions about next steps, not having a coordinated evidence-based testing strategy is a recipe for disaster.”

The lawmakers continued: “It is essential the federal government build and support a strong national testing system that resolves supply chain challenges, synthesizes epidemiological data at a national level, and provides states with support to increase testing capacity. Diseases do not respect borders and they do not respect state lines. For any state to effectively protect their citizens from COVID-19, every state must do so.”

Rep. Kilmer has previously called for the President to develop a federal strategy to dramatically increase the production and availability of testing for COVID-19. Last week, he signed on as an original cosponsor of the Immediate COVID Testing Procurement Act to leverage the Defense Production Act to procure all necessary components and supplies to conduct molecular and serological COVID-19 medical testing nationwide.

Senator Murray: Congress Must Ensure Immigrant Families Can Access Critical Services During Coronavirus Pandemic.

Press release issued 4/ 27/ 20

(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), joined Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Representative Judy Chu (D-Calif.), along with 27 other Senators and 76 Members of the House of Representatives, in writing to members of Congressional leadership to call for an inclusive coronavirus relief package that ensures that urgently-needed coronavirus testing and medical care and relief benefits are accessible by all communities, regardless of limited English proficiency or immigration status. In their letter, Senator Murray and her colleagues highlighted the immigrant workers who are on the front lines of the coronavirus response as health care workers, farmworkers, grocery store workers, and other essential service providers.

“As Congress responds to the critical needs of our country during the COVID-19 pandemic, we urge you to ensure that the vital protections and economic lifelines provided in coronavirus relief legislation are accessible to all communities, regardless of immigration status or limited English proficiency,” the Members of Congress wrote. “COVID-19 has caused one of the greatest public health and economic crises our Nation has ever faced, and it requires a whole-of-society approach. A response that leaves out immigrants—many of whom are on the front lines in our fight against COVID-19—will be ineffective and detrimental to our efforts to stop this pandemic.”

The lawmakers continued: “We strongly urge you to build on the critical steps Congress has taken to protect families and workers in prior coronavirus relief packages by including the above-mentioned common sense measures in the upcoming relief legislation. We also ask that you provide robust funding for government agencies and community based-organizations to provide information about these coronavirus services in at least the languages described as most encountered in the 2016 FEMA Language Access Plan.”

Senator Murray has been focused on ensuring that nobody in Washington state or across the country is left behind in the response to COVID-19, especially undocumented individuals and other members of traditionally marginalized communities. Earlier this month, Senator Murray urged the Trump Administration to automatically extend work authorizations for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients and other impacted immigrants, and last week decried President Trump’s move to suspend immigration into the U.S. On March 13th and again on April 3rd Senator Murray questioned the Trump Administration on how they plan to address COVID-19 outbreaks in immigration facilities where they are detaining tens of thousands of immigrants and asylum seekers. Senator Murray also spoke with educators and health care providers in Central Washington about how the current crisis threatens to exacerbate inequities in education for migrant students and families, and Senator Murray emphasized that she would be fighting for increased aid to address these inequities and other issues that immigrant communities face in future coronavirus legislation.

The letter can be found below:

Dear Majority Leader McConnell, Minority Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, and Minority Leader McCarthy:

As Congress responds to the critical needs of our country during the COVID-19 pandemic, we urge you to ensure that the vital protections and economic lifelines provided in coronavirus relief legislation are accessible to all communities, regardless of immigration status or limited English proficiency. COVID-19 has caused one of the greatest public health and economic crises our Nation has ever faced, and it requires a whole-of-society approach. A response that leaves out immigrants—many of whom are on the front lines in our fight against COVID-19—will be ineffective and detrimental to our efforts to stop this pandemic.

As the COVID-19 outbreak is challenging our already-strained medical system, we must keep in mind that immigrants make up a disproportionate share of nurses, home health aides, and health care facility workers. Nearly 1.7 million immigrants work in the health care industry. There are 29,000 DACA recipients who are health care workers, while another 12,700 DACA recipients support the health care industry in crucial roles such as custodians and administrators. In addition, there are 11,600 Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders who are health care workers. Therefore, it is vital that Congress ensures that immigrant workers, including these frontline workers who are risking their lives to save others, are able to maintain their work authorization and access key coronavirus relief measures.

Moreover, during a time when more than ninety percent of Americans, as of April 8, have been ordered to stay at home except to get essential services, we are relying on farmworkers, grocery store workers, and other essential service providers to meet our basic needs. Many of these indispensable workers are immigrants who face additional vulnerabilities such as low incomes and lack of health insurance coverage. As these workers endure the challenges of this pandemic to provide for our critical needs, we request that you extend the coronavirus cash assistance Congress provided in the CARES Act to include immigrant families who file taxes with an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN). In 2015 alone, 4.35 million people paid more than $13.7 billion in net taxes using an ITIN, according to the American Immigration Council. By excluding ITIN filers and their family members from access to cash payments, spouses and children in mixed-status immigrant families will be denied critical economic support, including 5.1 million children, the vast majority of whom are U.S. citizens.

As Congress is taking bold steps to provide coverage of COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccines, it must ensure that everyone has adequate access to these health care services, regardless of immigration status. Congress expanded COVID-19 testing through Medicaid for the uninsured in prior coronavirus relief legislation. We ask for additional clarity to ensure that all uninsured individuals, including immigrants, may qualify. We also ask that in any subsequent coronavirus relief legislation, you ensure that all low-income communities, including immigrants, can access Medicaid-funded COVID-19-related medical care such as treatment and vaccines, alongside coverage for testing.

We further request that you modify immigration policies that deter immigrant families from obtaining the medical care they need during this public health emergency, such as the public charge rule and immigration enforcement actions around sensitive locations. Despite U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ announcement that those obtaining COVID-19 testing or treatment will not be penalized under the public charge rule, the rule continues to have a widespread chilling effect. It has discouraged even those not subject to the rule, including U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents, from getting the health care and essential services they need due to fear and confusion about the rule’s impact. Suspending the public charge rule and immigration enforcement actions around sensitive locations, such as hospitals, COVID-19 testing sites, domestic violence shelters, food banks, and sites providing food and nutrition services for women, infants, and children, would help ensure that vulnerable populations are able to access critical coronavirus services.

Accordingly, we strongly urge you to build on the critical steps Congress has taken to protect families and workers in prior coronavirus relief packages by including the above-mentioned common sense measures in the upcoming relief legislation. We also ask that you provide robust funding for government agencies and community based-organizations to provide information about these coronavirus services in at least the languages described as most encountered in the 2016 FEMA Language Access Plan. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.






WORLD NEWS HEADLINES

How can schools open up again safely? The UN has some new guidelines.
As countries grapple with severe disruptions to education caused by COVID-19, several UN agencies – as part of the Global Education Coalition – issued new guidelines on Thursday to help Governments make decisions on safely reopening schools for the world’s 1.3 billion students affected by ongoing closures.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1062902

UN prepares for potentially devastating COVID-19 outbreak in conflict-ravaged northeast Nigeria.
In northeast Nigeria, where armed conflict has forced millions from their homes, the UN’s migration agency, IOM, is supporting the construction of quarantine shelters, as the region braces for an outbreak of COVID-19 which, it warns, would have ‘devastating consequences’ for those who have been displaced.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1062892

World health experts will meet Thursday to assess COVID-19 pandemic
International health experts will convene on Thursday to evaluate the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic and advise on updated recommendations, the head of the World Health.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1062882

COVID-19: Act now to avert ‘hunger catastrophe’ for millions missing out on school meals.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1062812

Coronavirus lockdown casts harsh light on our data and privacy online.
A third of all nations lack laws to protect their citizen’s online data and privacy, despite an 11 per cent uptick in the global adoption of data protection and privacy legislation since 2015, the United Nations’ trade, investment and development body (UNCTAD) said on Wednesday.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1062872

Nearly half of global workforce at risk as job losses increase due to COVID-19: UN labour agency.
Some 1.6 billion people employed in the informal economy – or nearly half the global workforce - could see their livelihoods destroyed due to the continued decline in working hours brought on by lockdowns to curb the spread of COVID-19, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said on Wednesday.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1062792

Sudan: Coronavirus could be tipping point for ‘untold suffering’, Bachelet urges sanctions relief.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government and people of Sudan could experience “untold suffering” unless donors act fast to shore up a country still in transition, the top UN human rights official warned on Tuesday.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1062782

NEWS STORY COMMENTARY ( Page 7)

INSLEE KICKS THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD AGAIN...