3 Stories You Should Read 4/29/2020: Meat plant workers, Michigan prisoners, Federal Budget Deficit
Confluence Daily is your daily news source for women in the know.
In the category of: Just say NO
Meat plant workers to Trump: Employees aren’t going to show up
Meat-processing plant workers are concerned about President Donald Trump’s executive order that compels plants to remain open during the coronavirus pandemic. Meat plant employees are among America’s most vulnerable workers, and some say they expect staff will refuse to come to work.
In the category of: Doing the time
Positive Test Rates For COVID-19 Are As High As 87% At Some Michigan Prisons
Michigan’s aging prisoners serve the final years of life sentences at the state’s Lakeland Correctional Facility. Inmates have dubbed it the “gangster retirement home,” a place where many have chronic health issues and are vulnerable to COVID-19.
The coronavirus has swept through Lakeland unabated, three inmates told HuffPost. At least 13 men have died and more than 50 have been hospitalized. Of 266 inmates that the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) tested for the virus in units that hold patients with other health issues, 208 came back positive. Overall, about 57% of Lakeland’s 1,400 prisoners have tested positive.
“We weren’t sentenced to death, but as of now everyone feels like they’re on their way,” said Lakeland inmate Patrick Wilson, 49. Wilson, who is serving a life sentence, has had multiple open-heart surgeries and suffers from a range of health issues. “A lot of guys around here are nervous and scared that this is going to hit home and they’re going to die.”
In the category of: Viral economics
Economists urge Republicans to ignore the deficit
Experts are pushing Congress to keep spending to help protect the fragile economy
As economists urge Congress to infuse the economy with more funds to shield the nation from the coronavirus pandemic, Republican lawmakers have begun to waver, citing a familiar but long-neglected concern: the federal budget deficit.
Both chambers are eyeing the next phase of a coronavirus relief package, on top of nearly $3 trillion already authorized. But Republicans are beginning to suggest Congress should hit a temporary pause button on spending, warning that all of the red ink could deal a crushing blow to the economy down the road.
Confluence Daily is the one place where everything comes together. The one-stop for daily news for women.
