Good mornin’ friends! Ready for casual Friday? Dunno what that means anymore either, but hey, we’re doin’ this:
Senator Bill Burr is being investigated by the FBI: due to an inquiry of claims that he took advantage of a private coronavirus briefing to dump his stocks before they dived.
Senate Republicans are trying to find out about Biden’s role in “unmasking” Michael Flynn: and if that sounds like it’s just a distraction and an attempt to smear a political enemy, you may be onto something!
The U.N. is warning of how severe the mental health costs may be during the pandemic: which is disheartening to hear because we were already depressed. Dang it.
Are you ready? Are we ready? Is anyone ready anymore? Let’s break these stories down.
CORRUPTION
Senator Richard Burr is Under Investigation by FBI
Richard Burr faced scrutiny for reportedly selling off a ton of stocks after a private coronavirus hearing. He was served a search warrant at his residence and turned over his phone, a significant escalation of the investigation into whether Burr and other lawmakers engaged in insider trading.
The Details
Burr sold a large part of his stock portfolio over 33 different transactions on February 13th, soon after a private coronavirus briefing meeting. He made somewhere between half a million and $2 million from the trades.
The STOCK Act specifically prohibits this kind of thing and also requires lawmakers to disclose their stock market activity. Burr was one of the three senators who opposed the passing of the STOCK Act.
As a result of the investigation, Burr stepped down as Senate committee chair for the intelligence committee.
To get this warrant, federal agents and prosecutors must have persuaded a judge that they had probable cause to believe a crime was committed here. What they may be looking for: what his communication with his broker looked like and whether he signaled that it was time to dump many key stocks.
Reportedly, the FBI originally served a warrant to Apple to get information from Burr’s iCloud account. The evidence found there was enough to justify a warrant for his actual phone.
A sitting U.S. senator getting handed warrants like this certainly isn’t normal.
The Concerns
Senator Kelly Loeffler acted similarly but thus far, we haven’t seen any details on an investigation around her. There is concern that Burr is being punished for not helping cover up Russia’s election interference, while Loeffler has earned impunity for her loyalty. A Loeffler spokesperson said that the senator has sent documents and information to the Department of Justice, the Senate Ethics Committee, and the Securities and Exchange Committee that show she acted appropriately.
Senator Diane Feinstein’s office has also confirmed she answered questions from the FBI about her husband’s stock trades and handed documents over to the agency.
Bottom line: we can’t forget that Loeffler and Burr actually sit together in the Senate. It sure seems fishy to us and hopefully this isn’t just another political ploy and anyone who engaged in insider trading will face punishment.
ELECTION 2020
Senate Republicans Are Pushing Biden Investigations
Obamagate. Whatever it’s supposed to be, I think that’s what this is about, right? The details are hazy, but the narrative seems to be that nearly three dozen Obama administration officials requested the name of an unidentified American under surveillance, something known as “unmasking,” during the Trump transition post-2016 election. The person in question: Michael Flynn.
New Declassified
All of this information was classified until Wednesday, when Trump’s acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grennell and Attorney General William Barr declassified the information and sent it to Senate Republicans.
In a joint statement, Senators Ron Johnson and Chuck “Attaches Three Lawnmowers Together” Grassley said: “The officials listed should confirm whether they reviewed this information, why they asked for it and what they did with it, and answer many other questions that have been raised by recent revelations.”
Some Senators have gone a little harder on this, like libertarian poster boy Rand Paul, who said this was an investigation into a political enemy or something. Yeah, like the Trump administration never does that.
In reality, this was likely a very normal thing that ought to have happened. Biden’s guilty of plenty of awful stuff, but this is probably a manufactured scandal and isn’t actually a big deal.
Bottom line: don’t let yourself get distracted by the noise. Trump’s doing an awful job right now and if you wanna hate on Biden, just talk about like, Iraq or something.
MENTAL HEALTH
The U.N. is Warning About the Mental Health Costs of Pandemic
Let’s get real, y’all. It’s Friday, we’re feeling open and sensitive, and a lot of people in our lives are struggling right now. A global pandemic is impossible to escape, and while many people talk about what the physical symptoms may be or how devastating it is to the economy, few of us talk about what it does to mental health.
It’s Gettin’ Dire, Folks!
Part of why this project even exists is because we know how stressful it is to be tuned in every day. The news sucks, TV sucks, being a responsible and knowledgeable adult just kinda sucks!
The U.N. even agrees things suck, citing an increase in psychological suffering including: “grief at the loss of loved ones, shock at the loss of jobs, isolation and restrictions on movement, difficult family dynamics, uncertainty and fear for the future.”
It’s hard to find solid data on this since you know, the shitshow that we’re all experiencing, but one study done in Ethiopia estimates a threefold increase in symptoms consistent with depression since the pandemic began. Another metric to look at: substance use. Canada’s national statistical agency, for example, noted that a fifth of Canadians aged 15-49 had increased their alcohol consumption since the coronavirus crisis started.
Bottom line: look, it’s anecdotal, but those findings are in line with what we’ve been going through. We’re drunk way more than normal, we’re stressed as hell about the future, and sometimes, we just feel outright hopeless! At the end of the day, it’s critically important now more than ever to support your loved ones, stay in touch, and to not let the isolation blues consume you.
END OF THE LINE...
That’s it for today.
That’s what we’ve got. Remember, we’re only able to do this every day because of readers like you. Drop your friends, family, or anyone else whose email you happen to have a referral link and help us grow. We’d truly appreciate it.
Have a good one,
The Bread Line
we’re listening to:
Share this post