Jorgé is an American citizen, but this doesn’t mean he’s unaware of how cold and demanding some gringos from the middle of Ohio can be.

Jorgé, who asked not to use his real name, told the Freep he works for FedEx but said “they are not taking this COVID thing seriously.” He has asthma so “I’m not going in.”

Jorgé’s landlord told him and his roommates rent was due on April 1st. Knowing his tenants may not make rent, this Grove City landlord said they could set up a payment plan – but only after they provide bank statements, a letter from their employer saying they were laid off, documentation they are not receiving any government assistance, and agree to a credit check.

“As for that part, we told him no one is going to be able to do that for you,” said the 20-something who’s active with local left-leaning progressive groups. “These people are more concerned for their investors than the people they build their livelihoods on.”

It’s one thing to be 20-something and white in conservative-leaning Ohio (Trump land) during the pandemic – than 20-something and Hispanic. Then take that a step further: Hispanic and undocumented.

As this lockdown drags on, excitement is at a premium. Foghat’s “Slow Ride,” once just a guilty pleasure, has now become a breakfast tradition. Which is another way of saying that a new album to review felt something like Christmas in April. All the more interesting because the Devil Doves are a band I have been writing about for a long time.

Commit to the Bit is something of a sonic departure from the percussive acoustic guitar attack of previous Devil Doves releases. Compared to albums like The Devil Doves and Also Playing, the tracks have a fuller sound with more sonic depth. This is in large part due to the emergence of keyboardist Jeff Straw, whose fingerprints are all over the album. While in the past he at times seemed to be adding Nicky Hopkins-esque gloss to already completed songs, he is now frequently the driving force behind arrangements.

In conjunction with percussionist Kyle Davis’ cajon work and the odd electric guitar, the result is a highly accessible sound that anyone should be able to get into quickly (if not instantly)

Grassroots action’s immense upset victory in Wisconsin shows we can overcome even a rigged election.

In November, you must do it again.   

When Trump tries to steal or cancel the election, our informed non-violence must rise to protect and win it. 

Neither the human race, nor American democracy, nor the US economy will survive more of this. Our further existence as a species depends on you.  

Much of the upcoming election will be through Vote by Mail (VBM).  Oregon, Washington, Colorado and Hawaii already use it with great success.  

VBM is probably (as Winston Churchill said of democracy) the worst election system there is…except for all the other ones. 

Huge problems are virtually certain.  We need to be prepared to deal with them.

 

As people grapple with a planetary pandemic an exciting new movie is premiering just in time to commemorate the 75th anniversary of what marked the end of a much of our last global conflagration. Enemy Lines is available to rent or own on April 24 shortly before the platinum jubilee of Victory in Europe or V-E Day, May 8, 1945, which signified the Allied victory over Hitler and Mussolini. Swedish director Anders Banke’s World War II movie also reminds us of the all but forgotten Mission Alsos, and in doing so provides film and war buffs with a highly entertaining history lesson.

To fully grasp the extraordinary nature of Major Kaminski’s (Ed Westwick) daring operation, imagine if you will if a team of Nazi irregular soldiers had infiltrated New Mexico circa 1943 in order to “extract” nuclear physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, chief of the Manhattan Project’s staff, from Los Alamos in order to bring the scientist back to the Fatherland in order to work on Germany’s “heavy water” experiments to create an atomic bomb.

Today, Saturday April 18, we’ll be hosting a special Facebook LIVE Event to preview Palast’s new book, How Trump Stole 2020, which reveals how Trump’s already got the November election in the bag — unless we snatch it back! The event will feature exclusive reports from the scene of the crime — plus interviews with Barbara Arnwine, Lee Camp, Nomi Prins, David Cay Johnston, Dennis Bernstein, Cary Harrison, Josh Fox & more. Presented by Nation of Change, BuzzFlash and 7 Stories Press, and hosted by Thom Hartmann, the action kicks off on our Facebook page at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET. We’ll also embed the feed here for those who want to tune in but don’t have an account.