Pro-Big Oil Trump fights hungry people, not coronavirus

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This 5 December 2019 video from the USA says about itself:

How cuts to food stamp program could increase ‘poor outcomes’ for the food insecure

The Trump administration is making some major changes to the food stamp program, known as SNAP. On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture finalized a new rule expected to end access to the benefit for nearly 700,000 people by enforcing tougher work standards and limiting exemptions. The Urban Institute’s Elaine Waxman joins Amna Nawaz to discuss.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WON’T POSTPONE FOOD BENEFIT CUT Since last week, Democrats have called on President Donald Trump’s administration to delay a planned food benefit cut because of the rapidly expanding coronavirus outbreak, but administration officials have said no. Starting next month, rules will tighten for unemployed adults who don’t have minor children or disabilities, a policy that will shrink food benefit enrollment by 700,000, or about 2% annually. [HuffPost]

LOW-INCOME COLLEGE KIDS ARE WALKING A KNIFE’S EDGE A growing number of colleges and universities have canceled in-person classes this semester to combat the spread of COVID-19. For the tens of thousands of students who rely on their schools for housing and food, this disruption is going to be particularly painful. “It’s going to be so financially stressful … some of these students are not going to return to college,” said Sara Goldrick-Rab, professor of higher education policy and sociology at Temple University. [HuffPost]

TOP DISEASE EXPERT: THE SYSTEM IS ‘FAILING’ Seven weeks have passed since the first U.S. case of coronavirus was announced, and the government is failing to account for what could be thousands of additional infections because of ongoing problems with testing. “The system is not really geared to what we need right now,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert at the National Institutes of Health. “That is a failing. It is a failing, let’s admit it.” [AP]

CDC ONLY TESTED 77 PEOPLE THIS WEEK An examination of state and federal records by Yahoo News finds that American states are, on average, testing fewer than 100 people per day for COVID-19 — while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had tested fewer than 100 people total in the first two days of this week. “This is not a problem we can test our way out of,” a top CDC official said. In a nation of 320 million, testing every person will be impossible. [HuffPost]

OUTBREAK COULD MAKE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE WORSE The biggest piece of advice coming from public health officials amid the current pandemic is to practice social distancing and, if necessary self-isolate. For some, these measures are inconvenient but ultimately doable. But for others, such as victims of domestic violence for whom work is a necessary respite from the unpredictability of their partner’s abuse, there can be more immediate danger inside the home than outside it. [HuffPost]

Disneyland to close amid pandemic.

THE ABSURDITY OF TRUMP’S BID TO BAIL OUT OIL AND GAS The White House’s nascent effort to bail out oil and gas producers struggling with plunging oil prices could become a political boondoggle, legal and industry experts say, given the difficulty of finding congressional support for offering federal dollars to an industry plagued by reckless financing and devastating effects on the climate. [HuffPost]

More Coverage Of The Coronavirus

Britain: Coronavirus sparks fear for older and ill prisoners in overcrowded jails: here.

Britain: Kids on free school meals could go hungry if schools close due to coronavirus, charities warn: here.

Scottish landlords should not evict tenants struggling to make ends meet as a result of coronavirus: here.

China sends medical experts to support Italy and Spain’s fight against coronavirus. Rome blasts the EU for ignoring its pleas for help: here.