The New York Times published an explosive news investigation into how President Donald Trump’s White House warned wealthy Republican donors about the impact of the coronavirus early this year while at the same time downplaying the risks to the public. The news of the virus’ seriousness prompted a sell-off of stocks akin to what happens in cases of insider trading. As per the Times, “Interviews with eight people who either received copies of the memo or were briefed on aspects of it as it spread among investors in New York and elsewhere provide a glimpse of how elite traders had access to information from the administration that helped them gain financial advantage during a chaotic three days when global markets were teetering.” 

Meanwhile the Labor Department’s weekly report shows that nearly 900,000 people filed for unemployment benefits last week – a stubbornly high figure that underscores the on-going economic pain from the coronavirus pandemic. And, two separate studies from the University of Chicago and University of Notre Dame show that 6 to 8 million Americans have slipped into poverty since May of this year. Initially poverty levels dropped when the government’s ambitious CARES Act aid buoyed American families. After that aid dried up, poverty levels didn’t just go back up to pre-pandemic levels – they sky rocketed. The Democrat-controlled House has passed two separate and ambitious measures to help keep aid flowing but Republicans have chosen instead to focus on confirmation hearings for a Supreme Court nominee in the midst of an election. Democrats have also introduced legislation to double the cost-of-living increase to Social Security checks after the Trump administration announced an extremely small raise.

During the Senate confirmation hearings of Judge Amy Coney Barrett this week California’s Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein questioned the nominee about her position on government-funded programs like Social Security and Medicare. Feinstein asked Barrett if she, like many libertarian conservatives, felt that those programs were unconstitutional. Barrett—as she has repeatedly done—refused to give a straight answer. In response Senator Bernie Sanders tweeted, “Tens of millions are dependent upon these programs for retirement security and health care. And Judge Barrett doesn’t know if they are constitutional. Really? That’s what right-wing extremism is all about.” 

Earlier in the week Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse had laid out the detailed manner in which “dark money” from rightwing groups helped boost Barrett’s nomination and on Thursday the New York Times expanded on that in explaining how, “Carrie Severino of the Judicial Crisis Network and Roger Severino, a senior health and human services official, have worked to reshape social policy and the courts they need to uphold i...