Our live webcast from the Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction
The show from January 4, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith.
Proud Boy Leader Enrique “Henry” Tarrio arrested in Washington, D.C. on property destruction with hate crime and weapons charges
The Trump Tapes and revolt against democracy in the U.S. Senate
COVID-19 is out of control
350,000 Americans have died
77,500 Americans died in December 2020
150,000 Americans projected to die in January 2021
U.K. and Scotland go on Level IV lockdown as the variant spreads unabated and the South African variant arrives in the nation
Sir John Bell expresses concern that current vaccinations will not work against the South African COVID-19 mutation
A pharmacist in Wisconsin allegedly destroyed doses fo vaccine because he is a conspiracy theory follower and believes the vaccine will alter human DNA
King County is buying up to a dozen hotels to address homelessness
ILEETA police training manual is full of falsehoods and propaganda
Seattle police arrest 6 over chalk art, Bledsoe vs Ferry County raises questions on the Constitutionality of the arrest
Tribal nations fight fear and distrust to immunize native language speakers and elders from COVID
Hundreds of indigenous dialects are at risk of disappearing forever as the number of native speakers dwindles. COVID has placed a special urgency to protect native speakers and tribal elders to keep traditions, and language, alive.
[SEATTLE] (Malcontent News) – Malcontent News obtained a memo from state officials indicating the federal decision to reduce vaccine allocations is to preserve the supply for second injections. The Pfizer COVID vaccine requires two doses, 28 days apart, to become effective. Pfizer has stated that 28 days is relative and can be moved by a couple of days, but there isn’t a clear understanding of the impact of a longer delay. If the period between the first and second injections is too long, all initial doses will go to waste.
Late last week, confusion emerged across the United States as multiple governors reported their vaccine allocations were being reduced 30% to 50%. Health and Human Services clarified that some states such as Iowa and Texas would see no such reduction, while other states such as Florida and Washington would. In Washington state, King County will receive no vaccine shipments for the week of December 21. King County was the first location in the United States to have a mass outbreak of COVID, and includes the cities of Seattle and Bellevue.
On Saturday, General Gustave Perna, the chief operating officer for Operation Warp Speed, took full responsibility for the delay. He cited FDA regulations requiring all batches to be certified, followed by a 48 hour waiting period as the source of uncertainty. “At the end of the day, I accept responsibility for the miscommunication,” Perna said during a press conference. In contrast, Pfizer indicated they have millions of doses sitting in warehouses waiting for shipping instructions.
The Trump Administration, Health and Human Services officials, and leadership within Operation Warp Speed have issued contradictory and muddled messages since mid-November. In another worrying sign that a long winter awaits Americans, officials identified two new strains of COVID in the U.K. and South Africa. Both appear more contagious than current widespread strains, and the South African variant seems to be targeting younger people. Despite other nations banning travel to and from the U.K. and South Africa to prevent transmission, the United States has taken no such action.
Front line health care workers will be first to receive the Pfizer Vaccine
The first batch of Pfizer’s COVID vaccine arrives in Washington state, and distribution will start on December 15. Although this is good news for the future, we won’t be taking our masks off any time soon, and without widescale acceptance, herd immunity will be delayed.
Our live webcast from the Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction
malcontentment happy hour – December 14, 2020
Governor Inslee proposes several equity measures for the upcoming state budget
Up to 40 million Americans face homelessness in 2021 and a $2.5 trillion transfer in wealth will happen if Congress doesn’t act
COVID vaccine arrives in Washington, but don’t take those masks off just yet
Right-wing violence from racists, domestic terrorists, and militant Trump supporters continues to escalate
Olympia Washington protest on Saturday, December 12, 2020 results in one shot – Forest Machala arrested for the shooting
Red House update from December 13, 2020, with approved video from behind the barricades
Part two of our interview with Nikayla Rice
Malcontent News has been approved as a Google News source
Editor comment: The video of the Olympia, Washington protest has the wrong date on it of December 10, 2020. The correct date is December 12, 2020. We apologize for the error.
Governor Inslee held a press conference today where he announced additional grants for small businesses, a potential unemployment extension for up to 100,000 citizens, and a continuation of statewide COVID restrictions. The governor cited 80% ICU utilization, 1,094 people hospitalized for COVID statewide, and over 10,500 new cases reported in the last 48-hours as the reasons for the extension. The state projects that 2,000 Washingtonians will be hospitalized with COVID under a “moderate” scenario by the end of December.
Part of today’s press conference announced an additional $50 million in grants to assist small businesses most impact by COVID-related closures. The Department of Commerce is prioritizing businesses such as yoga studios, fitness centers, entertainment venues, and bars to receive the new grants. The maximum amount a company can receive is $20,000. The number of approved applicants will determine that final sum.
Officials in Washington D.C. remain deadlocked on a second stimulus package for Main Street and citizens. Benefits from the CARES Act in the form of unemployment extensions and unemployment for 1099 employees, also called gig workers, is set to expire on December 31. For most people, the actual expiration date is December 26. Governor Inslee announced that for a subset of people collecting unemployment, extensions would continue into January.
People collecting Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) will continue to received benefits if the federal government does not come up with a stimulus package. This extension benefits approximately 60% on unemployment and would represent a flat payment versus the current sliding scale. The governor did not state how much each qualified individual would get, only saying that for “a few,” it would be less. The governor indicated that funds were available for him to extend the program through executive order and that Employment Security was already working on implementing the plan. Officials stated there were insufficient funds to expand PEUC, impacting as many as 172,000 people if benefits expire.
Governor Inslee did not take further business restrictions off the table and announced businesses not complying could receive fines up to $10,000 a day. Multiple state officials stated that we would better understand the number of new COVID cases created by Thanksgiving travel and celebrations in the next one to two weeks. The change in those numbers will dictate if the state needs to issue another extension after January 4 or take more robust measures.
State officials indicated that 62,000 doses of the Coronavirus vaccine would arrive in the state of Washington on December 15. Frontline healthcare workers and residents of nursing homes would get top priority. An additional 182,000 doses would come by the end of December, with more “likely” in January. Immunization requires two doses, 28 days apart, and takes a total of 60 days to become effective. The amount of vaccine arriving in December will not be enough to immunize everyone at the head of the line. Washington will receive vaccines from AstraZeneca and Moderna.
Journalists, activists, and researchers defending the First Amendment
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