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'Close To Genocide By Default’ “What else do you call mass death by public policy?” asked Yale’s Gregg Gonsalves, as draft FEMA documents project 3,000 deaths a day. By Lee Moran A Yale epidemiologist pulled no punches with his searing assessment of the United States’ botched handling of the coronavirus pandemic, suggesting it is now “getting awfully close to genocide by default.” “How many people will die this summer, before Election Day?” tweeted Gregg Gonsalves, co-director of Yale’s Global Health Justice Partnership, on Wednesday morning, the day after President Donald Trump said the White House’s coronavirus task force would be wound down despite case numbers still rising. (Trump, however, tweeted later Wednesday morning that the group “will continue on indefinitely with its focus on SAFETY & OPENING UP OUR COUNTRY AGAIN.”) “What proportion of the deaths will be among African-Americans, Latinos, other people of color?” asked Gonsalves. “This is getting awfully close to genocide by default. What else do you call mass death by public policy?” In later tweets, Gonsalves confirmed he was serious with his suggestion. “What is happening in the US is purposeful, considered negligence, omission, failure to act by our leaders,” he wrote. “Can they be held responsible under international law?” COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, has now killed upwards of 72,000 people in the U.S. There are more than 1.2 million confirmed cases nationwide, more than any other country in the world. On Sunday, Trump said up to 100,000 people could eventually die from the virus. A week earlier, he said there would be up to 60,000 fatalities. A draft Federal Emergency Management Agency report over the weekend, however, showed there could be 3,000 deaths daily by June 1. Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx, members of the White House’s task force, have also previously suggested that between 100,000 and 240,000 people could die from the virus in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes on its website how “current data suggest a disproportionate burden of illness and death among racial and ethnic minority groups.” Almost one-third of those who have died from the disease in the U.S. are Black, according to an Associated Press analysis. Trump for weeks downplayed the threat of the virus before dithering on what action to take, as case numbers worldwide soared. He has used the daily task force briefings to attack journalists and tout unproven cures, such as his suggestion last month that injecting disinfectant could be a possible remedy, which he later claimed was sarcasm.

By Doug Dworkin Vice President Mike Pence finally wore a mask today but,  unlike most people, I was not at all alarmed by his recent maskless appearance at the Mayo clinic. I know something that escaped the notice of even the most perceptive observers:  Pence’s face IS a mask.  He is, in fact, not a human but a secretly developed cyborg planted on earth by persons unknown.  U.S .intelligence agencies are fully aware of this, but the President is not.  They decided to keep this fact from him by putting it in the President’s Daily Briefing, which he never reads. Oddly enough, it was not the intelligence agencies that first discovered this astonishing fact.  One day, while entering the White House Briefing Room for one of the daily updates, Dr. Birx was walking behind the Vice President and noticed a string hanging out from under his jacket.   Thinking that it might be a loose thread, she pulled on it and it just kept coming.   When she released it, it retracted and the Vice President suddenly blurted out, “But what’s remarkable to me as a layperson, Mr. President, is because of this partnership you’ve forged, we’re almost there.  And we’ll be there very, very soon for the American people.”  Curious, Dr. Birx pulled the string again and Pence uttered, “This is one more step where we, literally, as the President said from early on, are leaving no stone unturned, and we are delivering a whole-of-government approach for our states as they deal with the coronavirus outbreak.” Because of social distancing, no one but Dr. Birx heard Pence speaking (perhaps the cyborg has an automatic control that increases volume when he’s near the President)   In any event, Dr. Birx suddenly realized that the Vice President is some kind of sophisticated other-worldly “Chatty Cathy.”  Alarmed, but fearing for her job if she told the President, Birx dutifully reported her findings to US intelligence agencies, where the secret remains until Trump decides to read his daily briefing. It’s possible he already knows.  Some in the agencies have theorized that the Pence cyborg may not be from another world at all, but an artificial intelligence device secretly developed in China at the request of Trump so he can always count on having a dedicated toady at his beck and call. Doug Dworkin is a former junior high school teacher, encyclopedia editor, and IT executive at IBM. Now retired, he Is beginning a new career as a professional dabbler and dilettante.

By Merrill Hansen Donald Trump considers himself an expert on women’s looks. Good hair is important (“Hair is my thing”), and he absolutely frowns upon lip implants. But there is something Trump hates more than a woman with bad hair and lip implants--a strong, attractive woman with brains. That goes doubly for one who is on Joe Biden's short list of possible vice-presidential running mates. That's Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan: great hair, no lip implants, and very smart. While Trump was still treating coronavirus as a little glitch in his re-election campaign plans, Whitmer was fighting to get protective supplies for healthcare workers in hospitals in her state that had almost reached capacity. Michigan has the third highest death rate from coronavirus among the states. Whitmer didn't give a damn about Trump's misogyny, and she'd rather eat dirt than refrain from criticizing him publicly if he deserves it. So she did just that, and not surprisingly, Trump retaliated. By his own standards, though, he couldn't make fun of her looks, so he dismissively referred to her as "that woman from Michigan.” To his obvious annoyance, she wore that label with pride. (She certainly didn't want anyone to think she was the Governor of Georgia.) Finally, Trump settled on calling her Gretchen "Half” Whitmer, which she probably found amusing, considering that he may really believe that "wit" is spelled "that way. Trump also retaliated by interfering with the Michigan governor’s ability to get supplies and ventilators from the companies with which she had contracted. His refrain--"I'm not going to help people who don't appreciate me-- was reminiscent of parents whining that they slaved all day to keep a roof over their kids’ heads and nobody appreciates them. But Whitmer was shrewd. Because Trump was putting her in the spotlight, every cable show wanted her as a guest. Not wanting to do the limbo rock with Trump ("how low can you go?"), she talked about what shewas doing to battle the virus, and everyone could see she was not only smart and attractive, but she was witty. She even landed a spot on “The Daily Show,” and wore a blue THAT WOMAN FROM MICHIGAN T-shirt that probably outsold Trump MAGA hats the next day. While Trump's aides were begging him to stop speaking at coronavirus briefings, Whitmer was becoming a darling of TV news. Unable as usual to admit defeat, Trump decided to go another round. He urged his loyalists to gather in Michigan’s capitol, Lansing, to protest Whitmer's stay-at-home order with its new restrictions. Republican organizations and operatives, including those with big donor money ties, mounted a protest event that looked more like satire. Protesters came with assault weapons, Confederate flags, Trump 2020 banners and Nazi signs. Because the demonstrators were there to defend their constitutional right to spread a deadly virus, most of them refused to wear masks and glove. They even blocked ambulance entrances at hospitals. In her deft handling of the situation, Whitmer won the ultimate cultural prize when “Saturday Night Live” did a skit portraying the poised Michigan governor chilling out with a few beers. https://youtu.be/gqPCJfKULgs While all of this was playing out, I was a statistic myself, one of the thousands of coronavirus cases in Michigan, scared witless I could become an even more dire statistic. I already was a fan of Governor Whitmer, but now I was certain that she was going to do everything she could to control the virus, even though she would have to suffer the wrath of others. She did exactly that, magnificently. The protesters' way of thinking is completely foreign to me. So when they took to the streets to protest against Whitmer’s stay-at-home order, I found myself wondering how many of them would suffer in silence if they, or their family members got the virus. Who would they take to the streets to blame then? Not "that woman.” Merrill Hansen is a legal assistant, living in West Bloomfield, Michigan. She describes herself as a frustrated writer, who wishes she could be Nora Ephron (when she was alive), if only for a day. She is a news-, political- and FB-junkie, a combination that requires a constant reminder that she needs to take deep cleansing breaths when responding to people who don't agree with her.

By Anokhee Mepani / New York City Dear Insiders, I've been feeling especially grateful during this crazy time. I’ve taken this period to reflect on and be thankful for so many things: my supportive partner, my secure job, my safe shelter, my entertaining friends, and especially my loving family. It’s given me a deep appreciation for the small joys in life, like being able to develop a relationship with a wonderful neighbor like Andrea. It’s also given me time to invest in something I care deeply about: Learn to Love (www.learntoloveinc.org), a nonprofit organization I started in 2005 to support the education and healthcare of differently-abled children in poverty. On my last trip to Mumbai, I got to spend a lot of time at the school with the students. Here’s a picture of me hanging out with the youngest students at the SEC school during recess. Much of my family lives in Mumbai, India. I typically visit Mumbai every year, and when I was younger, I would live there for months at a time. If you’ve never been to Mumbai or to India, I highly recommend going - India is a vibrant country, full of spirit, color, amazing food, and kind people. It is also a country that, like many countries, fails its most vulnerable - the poor, the differently-abled, and the minorities. During my visits I began volunteering at a small network of schools for differently-abled children in need (the schools are operated by the Society for the Education of the Challenged - www.sec-india.org). While India technically offers free education to all children up to the eighth grade, it does not necessarily make that education accessible. Many of the students I met could not go to the state schools because there were no handicap-accessible buses to get them to school, or the schools themselves were on the upper floors of buildings with no elevators or ramps. I fell in love with the kids and was glad they had a place to come to every day that could provide them with food, shelter, and an education. The schools also gave students mobility equipment (e.g. wheelchairs, crutches), and basic healthcare needs. In 2005 I began fundraising here in the US to support the schools financially. I turned my fundraising initiative into Learn to Love (LTL), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For 15 years, we have been providing funds to enable the schools to provide special educators; nutritionists; physical, speech, and mental health therapists; art, music, drama, and sports program; handicap-accessible transportation to and from school for all students; mobility equipment; medicine; sanitary and hygiene items; and more. We’ve also taken on large projects, like renovating bathrooms to make them hygienic and accessible to all. The entire time I was volunteering at the schools, fundraising for them, developing an organization to support the vulnerable children - the entire time, the baseline assumption was that the schools were there and open to the kids. The goal was also to make the students’ lives at the schools happy and well-rounded - all of the funds we raised and spent and all of the programs we stood up were centered around the school. School was the safe place, the place that removed the weight of being underprivileged and differently-abled from the students’ shoulders and made it possible for them to just be kids. This pandemic has taken school away from the children. Most of the kids live in slums in and around Mumbai. Forget classes through Zoom - many do not have consistent access to food, medicine, or basic necessities. Their families and their homes are not set up to handle their challenges - they likely do not have an accessible bathroom nearby, and cannot move or go anywhere. For the past month, Learn to Love has been raising funds to support the children at home, in this desperate time of need. For $65 a month, we are able to provide the child and his or her household with milk, eggs, flour, lentils, biscuits, rice, oil, soap, toothpaste, and the specific hygiene and medical items the child needs. If you are able to and would like to donate, you can contribute to this fundraiser: https://www.gofundme.com/f/raise-funds-for-kids039-basic-needs-during-covid . Every dollar will go towards our impoverished, differently-abled students who are severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. I can’t express in words how grateful we are for your donations. This global crisis has brought so much pain to the world, but it has also shown us just how resilient we are, how much strength we can muster when we support each other. In my reflections I am reminded of a quote by Helen Keller that is painted on one of classroom walls in one of the schools, reminding each child that they are capable: “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” I wish my fellow insiders and their loved ones health, safety, and strength during this most difficult time. May we all overcome together. Anokhee Mepani grew up in Boston and has lived in New York City for the past decade. She founded Learn to Love in India and is an active member of her local community here in the U.S. In addition to being committed to helping others, Anokhee has a career in finance and technology and is the director of strategy and operations at Addepar. In her free time, she loves to dance, read, and meet new people.

Day 1 – I Can Do This!! Got enough food and wine to last a month! Day 2 – Opening my 8th bottle of Wine. I fear wine supplies might not last! Day 3 – Strawberries: Some have 210 seeds, some have 235 seeds. Who knew?? Day 4 – 8:00 pm. Removed my Day Pajamas and put on my Night Pajamas. Day 5 – Today, I tried to make Hand Sanitizer. It came out as Jello Shots!! Day 6 – I get to take the Garbage out. I’m SO excited, I can’t decide what to wear. Day 7 – Laughing way too much at my own jokes!! Day 8 – Went to a new restaurant called “The Kitchen”. You have to gather all the ingredients and make your own meal. I have NO clue how this place is still in business. Day 9 – I put liquor bottles in every room. Tonight, I’m getting all dressed up and going Bar hopping. Day 10 – Struck up a conversation with a spider today. Seems nice. He’s a Web Designer. Day 11 – Isolation is hard. I swear my fridge just said, “What the hell do you want now?” Day 12 – If you keep a glass of wine in each hand, you can’t accidently touch your face! Day 13 – Watched the birds fight over a worm. The Cardinals lead the Blue Jays 3–1. Day 14 – Anybody else feel like they’ve cooked dinner about 395 times this month? Day 15 – I realized why dogs get so excited about something moving outside, going for walks or car rides. I think I just barked at a squirrel.

By Susan Weill Cooking for me can be very creative and fun but only when the mood strikes, not when I have to. More often than not, dinner consists of some combination of prepared and fresh foods – chicken potstickers (thanks Trader Joe’s), quinoa veggie burgers (also TJ’s) or, if I’m really uninspired, a can of soup. I jazz up these dishes by adding broccoli and teriyaki sauce to the potstickers, topping the burger with sautéed onions, peppers and shredded cheese and enhancing the soup with some frozen mixed vegetables. Before we started sheltering in place, I would stop into Trader Joe’s several times a week (there are two nearby) and pick up other groceries at ShopRite and Stew Leonard’s. These days, food shopping is way too stressful and involves a whole new set of issues – getting “suited up” with mask and gloves, long lines to get in the door, empty shelves, and then the cleaning protocol once you get home. As a result, I’ve been making one shopping trip a week to just one store where I get the few things I need. Thankfully, I stocked up on my favorites before things shut down (or as much as I could in a small kitchen with limited storage), so I continue to cook the same things with a few variations such as the recipe below. I had all the ingredients on hand except the sweet potato and jalapeño so I bought a sweet potato on my last trip to ShopRite but forgot the jalapeño. No way was I going back out there so I figured the substitution of red pepper flakes would work. Hope you enjoy! (And feel free to make your own substitutions.) Sweet Potato and Black Bean Hash (Adapted from Vegetarian Times) Serves 4 Ingredients · 2 tsp. vegetable oil · 1 medium onion, diced · 1 medium red pepper, diced · 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch dice (See Note #1) · 2 large cloves garlic, minced · 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (See Note #2) · 4 - 5 tsp. ground cumin · 1/2 tsp. salt · 1 cup frozen corn · 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed · Shredded cheddar cheese (optional, as garnish) Preparation 1. In large heavy skillet, preferably cast-iron, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and peppers and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. 2. Add sweet potato, and cook, stirring often, until beginning to brown in spots, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in garlic, jalapeño, cumin (start with 4 tsp., add more to taste), and salt and cook, stirring often, 30 seconds. Add ¾ cup water and cook, stirring to scrape any browned bits from bottom of pan, until potatoes are tender, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in corn and beans and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Season with freshly ground pepper to taste, and serve hot. Pass the shredded cheese to sprinkle on top. Notes: 1 - To speed up the cooking time for the sweet potatoes, put diced potatoes into a microwaveable bowl, add 2 tablespoons of water, cover and microwave on High for 1-1 ½ minutes. 2 – If you don’t have a jalapeño, sprinkle in some red pepper flakes for a bit of heat, according to taste. Susan Weill, a former Time Research Librarian and occasional freelance researcher, is sheltering at home in Westchester.

By Andy Borowitz May 1, 2020 LANSING (The Borowitz Report)—Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan, is “arrogantly forcing the residents of her state to remain alive,” Attorney General William Barr charged on Friday. In a blistering takedown of the Democratic governor, Barr said that Whitmer was “depriving Michiganders of their constitutionally enshrined right to die before their time.” Hinting that the Justice Department could soon file a lawsuit against Whitmer, Barr alleged that her “unhinged obsession with keeping her state’s residents breathing” represented “government overreach at its worst.” Barr also suggested that Whitmer’s “blatant anti-coronavirus bias” would likely come back to haunt her at the ballot box. “Gretchen Whitmer never asked Michiganders for their consent to remain alive, and they won’t forget that any time soon,” Barr said. Andy Borowitz is a Times best-selling author and a comedian who has written for The New Yorker since 1998. He writes The Borowitz Report, a satirical column on the news.

From MSNBC (click image below) Jeffrey Sachs: “We have a leader who is the worst in our history and such an idiot….Americans are dying by the tens of thousands because we’re not doing the basics.”

This week, we hear from Naomi Cohen in Calgary, Alberta and Mitzi Jacobs in West Bloomfield, Michigan, Both are Insider subscribers who live in senior living residences. Although they live almost 2,000 miles apart, they tell similar stories of long days in lockdown, without the company of family, friends and fellow residents. We send our love to our computer-savvy friends Mitzi and Naomi, and look forward to the return of a more convivial lifestyle for both of them soon! Dear Editor, Another lonely day. I've lost track of how long we have been totally isolated--no activities or gatherings. The dining room is closed--all meals are brought to our suites. I lost my beloved husband of 68 plus years two years ago. Never in my 91-plus years have I felt so adrift and purposeless. The staff are all lovely and caring; they bring snacks and games through the day. They also lead guided walks around our building three times a day. We have to sign up early as only four or five can go out at a time. Reading, New York Times crosswords and needlepoint make old eyes tired, but I do enjoy as much as possible. We do have an exercise class every morning. It certainly helps to keep somewhat active. There was a craft activity the other day. I am so NOT artistic and did not participate. My neighbor across the hall is truly an artist and made colorful woven rings, which now adorn the two doors into my suite. What a dear! I watch too much news--none of it good. I’m off to do a laundry before I settle to cuddle with my cat on the couch. Please be well. Love, Naomi Cohen Dear Editor, I’m living at All Seasons in West Bloomfield, Michigan. I really love it! Meals are served, there are movies, programs, and very nice people. Since the latest problems, we are not going out in the hallways, The table I had sat at for my meals was really nice. Friendly people! Now, our meals are brought to our apartment. I don’t know how long this will last. I haven’t been out of my apartment or seen any of the friends I had made here. I haven’t been in the hallways. Weird! Mitzi Jacobs

The Root of All Evil These are difficult days for sheltered Americans, and thoughts about dying abound. But while the coronavirus crisis is serious, these dark musings about dying involved something else, something even more concerning. We are speaking, of course, about hair dying: the shock of looking in the mirror and discovering a skunk line down the middle of the scalp. Who is that ancient crone with the grey roots staring back in the looking glass? Tragically, there is no one behind closed doors to rescue her. At this moment in history, the yearning for one’s beloved hair stylist is overpowering. Of course, there are currently other sources of tonsorial worry than emergent roots on American women. Shaggy hair on men is ubiquitous: you can even see it on newscasters Skyping on-air from their living rooms. There was Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin on MSNBC this week, holding forth on the politics of the pandemic; unfortunately the distressing rat’s nest on his head marred his otherwise dignified mien. As evidenced by their unshorn sideburns, stubbly beards and knotty locks, American men are having a bad hair day of their own. Such is the calamity of Quarantine Coiffure, a once-in-a-lifetime confluence of raging roots and severe haircut shortfalls. Sadly, it is a malady that your editor knows personally. As the weeks of the pandemic have passed, she has watched her chemically enhanced halo disappear as her real hair color rudely asserts itself. Your editor is embarrassed to admit that in a shopping panic at the beginning of March, she went to Amazon’s website and ordered a year’s supply of L’Oréal Paris Superior Preference Fade-Defying Permanent Hair Color, 6R Light Auburn Hair Dye. (During the same anxiety attack, believing that a retail Apocalypse was near, she also ordered five tubes of toothpaste and a half dozen bottles of mouthwash, but enough about that.) Forget toilet paper: your editor was determined that she would not be caught short when the coming deficit of hair dye began. But after a truckload of hair color arrived, your editor, spoiled by years in overpriced salons, was plagued by doubts about her ability to apply the solution to her scalp properly. After all, nothing stains like globs of haircoloring. When your editor sought counsel from a close friend, another devotee of dye, her friend set your editor’s mind at ease with these wise words: “Who the hell is going to see you?” In the end, dear readers, your editor abandoned her quest for pandemic perfection and decided to let her follicles fester. And no, she does not want to FaceTime with you anytime soon. As always, there are scoundrels in the land who try to exploit the misery of their fellow citizens. One wag had the colossal insensitivity to spray paint a graffito on the side of Clairol’s headquarters that read: “In eight weeks, 88% of blondes will disappear from the earth.” Another ne’er-do-well advertised Zoom haircuts at astronomical prices. Then, of course, there was the administration’s false claim that ingesting Head and Shoulders Shampoo cured coronavirus. Is nothing sacred anymore? In recognition of this national emergency, The Insider is calling for the creation of a Congressional Oversight Committee for the Protection of Americans of (Artificial) Color. And oversight is the operative word: this legislative task force should send drones across the nation to take a national head count, a Style Census, to determine scientifically the size of the problem and its root causes. Objectively, how many men and women sheltering in place are secretly sporting unlawfully awful hairstyles? Testing, testing, testing! Fortunately, there is an army of sidelined stylists and barbers, waiting to spring back into action. At long last, let’s put the Defense Production Act to good use, and order this battalion of beauticians to storm the barricades. Let the shaft fall where it may!