Publisher’s note: These critiques from two of US’s best long-time investigative journalists – Matt Stoller and Max Blumenthal – in conversation with Jimmy Dore, are worth a close listen. Heart-breaking, perhaps, for long-time supporters of Vermont’s junior Senator. And read Stephen Lendman’s summary below. For a free Vermont!

Trump Signs Corporate Bailout Bill: A Measure That Will Live in Infamy

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)

Congress, the Trump regime, and Wall Street owned and operated Fed conspired to hand monied interests trillions of dollars of free money.

Ordinary people are getting crumbs when millions are being laid off at a time of growing economic duress along with a public health emergency. 

They need substantial help, including medical care, but aren’t getting it from Washington’s criminal class.

Both of its right wings are indifferent toward ordinary people at all times, including when help is most needed.

This week, Congress rammed through an economic stimulus package that features bailouts for corporate America and large investors, ordinary people getting short shrift.

The measure was unanimously passed by the Senate, the House by voice vote, in both chambers with minimal debate.

According to Americans for Tax Fairness, the bill largely benefits business, saying:

It’s “ill-focused and unnecessarily costly, spending a lot of taxpayer dollars to aid companies that may not be particularly impacted by the economic emergency.”

The Tax Policy Center explained that “payments to as many as 150 million households” may take “months” to arrive when help is needed now.

Self-styled progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed the measure during House debate, but did nothing to stall the measure by demanding a roll call vote to improve it for ordinary Americans.

Nor did other House and Senate progressives in name only, notably Bernie Sanders.

He failed to demand greater help for Americans in need instead of a “no-strings-attached bailout to corporate CEOs and bankers on Wall Street” he rhetorically opposed, then voted to hand them hundreds of billions of dollars of free money.

Right-wing Republican Thomas Massie alone tried and failed to force a voice vote. Trump called him a “third rate grandstander.”

“Throw Massie out” of the party, he tweeted. The ghost of John Kerry reappeared, slamming Massie via Twitter as follows:

“Breaking news: Congressman Massie has tested positive for being an a..hole. He must be quarantined to prevent the spread of his massive stupidity (sic).” 

“He’s given new meaning to the term #Masshole. (Finally, something the president and I can agree on!)”

Both right wings of the one-party state support privileged interests at the expense of peace, equity and justice, including at times when ordinary Americans need help most of all.

In signing the so-called rescue package on Friday, Trump called it “the single biggest economic relief package in American history,” a mischaraterization.

It’s the biggest ever US corporate bailout bill that includes crumbs for ordinary Americans.

It’s hugely supplemented by trillions of dollars of Fed supplied free money to corporate interests and large investors — the entire bailout package with little or no oversight.

Nothing in congressional legislation provides healthcare for COVID-19 patients or for other illnesses, what should have been prioritized.

The bill largely aims to bolster the economy and profit-making at a time when public health and welfare are jeopardized.

Investment analyst Jim Bianco warned that the cure being doled out may be worse than the disease, notably actions by the Fed to buy “corporate bonds, asset-backed securities, commercial paper, and exchange-traded funds,” adding:

“At its current rate of Treasury purchases, it’ll own two-thirds of the Treasury market in a year.”

The Fed “is only allowed to purchase or lend against securities that have government guarantee.”

Yet it’s buying private assets it’s now allowed to do. “What does his mean,” Bianco asked?

“In essence, the Treasury, not the Fed, is buying all these securities and backstopping of loans. The Fed is acting as banker and providing financing.”

The scheme “merges the Fed and Treasury into one organization.”

“(M)eet your new Fed chairman, Donald J. Trump.”

With his hands on the money spigot it’s clear where it’ll mostly go.

According to Bianco, “malinvestment” could follow. With government’s heavy hand in the markets, “private sector players (could) leave.”

Fed chairman Powell “needs to tread carefully indeed to ensure his cure isn’t worse than the disease.”

COVID-19 and Economic Duress a Pretext to Enhance Police State Powers?

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)

Crises are times when ruling authorities convince people to sacrifice personal freedoms for greater security — not realizing that both will be lost.

Ruling authorities take advantage of times like now by instituting draconian policies they’re unable to introduce during normal times without risking mass rebellion.

Following the state-sponsored 9/11 false flag, police state America emerged.

A war OF terrorism was launched at home and abroad, not on it. Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) was a declaration of forever wars on invented enemies to feed the military, industrial, security, media complex.

Military Order No. 1 let Bush/Cheney capture, kidnap, arrest, indefinitely detain, or eliminate virtually anyone anywhere claimed to be involved in international terrorism — true or false.

Initially the order applied only to non-citizens, later to anyone at home and abroad.

Unconstitutional military commissions were established to conduct secret trials, their rulings not subject to appeal.

Torture became official US policy, Guatanamo the tip of a global network of secret torture prisons that still operate extrajudicially.

National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directives enabled the executive to usurp virtual dictatorial powers on the phony pretext of combatting terrorist groups — created and supported by the US, their fighters used as Pentagon/CIA proxies.

The USA Patriot Act, Homeland Security Act, Military Commissions Act, Detainee Treatment Act, revision of the 1807 Insurrection Act and virtual elimination of 1878 Posse Comitatus Protection, mass surveillance, Protect America Act, compromising Miranda rights, indefinite detentions of individuals uncharged and untried, a secret kill list, and other police state measures became official policy under both right wings of the one-party state.

So is Continuity of Government (COG) coup d’etat authority, violating constitutional separation of powers under alleged catastrophic emergency conditions, defined as:

“(A)ny incident (such as a terrorist attack), regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the US population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government functions.”

COG is defined as:

“(A) coordinated effort within the Federal Government’s executive branch to ensure that National Essential Functions continue to be performed during a Catastrophic Emergency.”

Renewed annually, COG authority gives presidents and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unprecedented police state powers to declare martial law without congressional approval and rule extrajudicially, free from constitutional constraints. 

In September 1982, Ronald Reagan’s National Security Decision Directive/NSDD 55 established a National Program Office (NPO), tasked with ensuring the federal government’s survive in case of a national emergency, specifically a nuclear attack.

In 1988, Reagan’s Executive Order 12656 authorized a COG response, including full-scale militarization in case of a “national security emergency,” defined as:

“(A)ny occurrence, including natural disaster, military attack, technological or other emergency, that seriously degrades or seriously threatens the national security of the United States.”

The policy remains in place to let US ruling authorities act against designated domestic and foreign adversaries, dissent, civil and human rights, and other fundamental freedoms — on the phony pretext of protecting and defending national security at a time when America’s only enemies are invented.

Post-9/11 laws and presidential actions compromised the Constitution’s First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, and 14 Amendments.

Speech, press, and academic freedoms were eroded. So were free association, due process, judicial fairness, habeas and Miranda rights.

Will spreading COVID-19 outbreaks and economic duress be used as reasons to suspend the Constitution and institute martial law on the phony pretext of public protection and security.

The Trump regime’s Justice Department secretly asked Congress to pass legislation that permits suspension of constitutional rights during the COVID-19 and other emergencies.

Undefined emergencies would give the White House authority to invent pretexts for hardening police state powers to include whatever actions the executive wishes to order.

Once in place, they’d likely be hard to reverse short of national rebellion.

Power isn’t relinquished voluntarily. Responsible change most always comes bottom up, not top down.

If US ruling authorities usurp unconstitutional powers on the pretext of a COVID-19 emergency and/or threat of economic collapse, martial law may replace remaining fundamental freedoms.

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely — the slippery slope in the US where things today are perilously heading.

A Final Comment

In August 2017, the Trump regime reversed a ban on providing battlefield military weapons and equipment to police departments nationwide.

The action was and remains an effort to harden control in cities and towns nationwide on the phony pretext of protecting public safety.

It comes at the expense of civil liberties. It gives local police more firepower to protect privileged interests at the expense of constitutional rights and public welfare.