​We are back to trying our mid-week shows.  With enough support we can make this permanent so definitely take the time to show your support by subscribing, sharing, and liking, and interacting with this content.  Getting into it, Trump has given us a lot to talk about this week, from the debate last night, to his taxes, and to the meat and potatoes of what this show is going to be about, his platinum plan.  So let’s get into it.  

Somebody tell Trump that we fixed his Platinum Plan flyer for him.  Cause we know how important honesty is for him.  

This is the broken one he put out. 

​This episode of Lessons from the Screen we are into part  19 of HR 748 which covers the Office of the Special Inspector General of Pandemic Recovery and Congressional Oversight amongst other things.    

​This episode of Lessons from the Screen we are into part  18 of the series on the largest stimulus package in US history and this week we are talking about Title 4 which focuses on economic stabilization and assistance.  We are also going to be getting into political parties and which one has been better for Black People.  What do you think about that, leave a comment.    

​This episode of Lessons from the Screen we are continuing with HR 748.  This is part 17 of the series on the largest stimulus package in US history and this week we are talking about Title 4 which focuses on economic stabilization and assistance.  We will also be talking a bit about President Trump's recent recording with regards to knowingly false statements that he made to the public during official government events geared towards giving information to the public.  What do you think about that, leave a comment.    

​This episode of Lessons from the Screen takes us back to our block as we finish up title 3 of HR 748.  But we are also going to spend a bit of time at the end talking about the payroll tax deferment plan that many of you have been asking me about.  Tune in!  Let me know what you think about the tax deferment plan presented by Trump and what’s your take on the user fees in this episode?  Remember to share these episodes, like these episodes, and subscribe to this podcast! If you want to reach out to us with comments or suggestions you can email us at [email protected]

​During this episode of Lessons from the Screen we are going to take another break from analyzing HR 748 to have a heartfelt conversation.  I’ve been getting asked more and more by my listeners to have shows giving my take on what’s happening as a direct conversation/opinion piece, so I figure let's give it a try.  Today I have boiled down the list of questions that I usually get during conversations and phone calls into 3 topics: mental health during corona, injustice and fighting for equality, and the political climate.  For those of you that don’t know me personally but would like to ask questions or suggest shows,  you can reach me at [email protected].

​I know I said I’d be dropping a video this week, but that didn’t happen for various reasons so we are going to aim for next week.  I want the video to be quality and to enhance the way the information is consumed not to just be a video.  That being said, we still have a lot to get into with this show as we take on part 1 of subtitle F covering Over-The-Counter Drugs and their review.  The world however is continuing to move through the pandemic and the upcoming election returned to prevalence as Joe Biden selected Kamala Harris as his running mate. 

​Continuing the journey we are moving into the part 3 and 4 of subtitle E of HR 748.  But talks have collapsed surrounding a second round of stimulus payments from another large bailout bill that was making its way through congress.  With the stop-dates for a lot of the benefits in HR 748 rapidly approaching that could spell disaster.  That disaster is especially disturbing considering Covid cases are continuing to rise and children are now getting infected at a much higher clip than we saw in the earlier stages.  Today we are going to continue our discussion on HR 748 while also talking about some of the other things going on in America in this episode of Lessons from the Screen.    

​ Talks of another stimulus check are gaining major steam, deaths and infections continue to surge as official began to reverse course and go back into lockdown mode, and even President Trump has reversed course when it comes to COVID restarting the white house COVID briefings.  China and the USA both closed embassies as tensions continue to rise.  The global recession continues with signs of getting worse.  Needless to say, there continues to be a lot to talk about, but we are going to continue to talk about HR 748 the Cares Act.  On this episode of Lessons from the Screen we are getting into part 1 and Part 2 of Subtitle E covering Medicare Provisions as a part of a group of HHS extensions.  

Today we finish up with the section on the Finance Committee.  There are several noteworthy things that have happened in the past week however.  Harvard and MIT are suing the Trump administration for its guidelines regarding international students, something that will have a big impact on higher education.  The CDC has come under fire for their recommendations regarding the opening of schools.  Covid cases continue to rise and Trump is now flexible on his convention format.  The Supreme Court has also issued several interesting decisions.  One that opens the door for states to punish electoral voters that refuse to vote the direction of the popular election, another that rejects Trump’s claim of absolute immunity from criminal investigation, and another that essentially sent congresses request for enforcement of its financial subpoenas to a lower court.  The news cycles have shifted away from the protest that seem to have lost focus and back onto other matters, despite a number of hangings of Black People (some of which have been deemed suicides). But we have not lost focus, that’s why in this episode of Lessons from the Screen we continue to ask, what the hell imma do with that!?!

​This week we are continuing our trek, but we are past the halfway point.  Hopefully, that is also true with regard to the presidency of Donald J. Trump.  Not only has COVID caused an end to the ever-growing streak of economic growth, but it also has seemingly disrupted Donald Trump’s ability to be impervious to any measures of accountability.  Iran has issued a warrant for his arrest regarding the drone attack months back that killed Iranian General Soleimani, something that we talked about in a show dedicated to that incident when it happened.  Trump’s niece has published a book about Trump and her publishing company won the right to distribute it.  John Bolton has also finally published his book after several attempts to have it blocked by the White House.  His war on social media has also been taken up a notch as multiple platforms have taken down his post or issued corrections and fact-checking messages, meanwhile he has tried to repeal protections for social media and has threatened to take them down.  He has also stated that he is using his power to slow the rate of testing in America amid a growing surge of new COVID cases following states reopening and protest continuing. 

​The single-day record for new cases was broken twice by America last week with estimates that it’s going to continue to rise.  The protest themselves have turned a corner and have seemingly finished shedding their racial beginnings to now be the new version of the Occupy Movement, LGBT Rights, and Police Reform in general.  Not that I have a problem with any of those things, but it does mean that Black People are once again placed on the back burner.  All in all, it’s been a busy week, but let’s continue to get into our show in the 2 trillion dollar stimulus package.  

Due to life, we were not able to release the show we wanted to this week.  So we hope you enjoy this replay show covering the documentary Reversing Roe, this show first aired September 2018.

​We are on and into Labor Provisions this week.  But before we get into that, protests are continuing however the focus seems to be shifting from racial equality to something akin to the occupy movements of the early 2010s.  New threats loom as the benefits from this very COVID Package begin to end and states start opening up.  Not only has there been a spike in COVID cases but there is also concern that evictions are about to be on the rise for many in low-income areas as the freeze on evictions ends.  Politics continues to get even more swampy as America continues to just overall not even be interested in pretending to care about some of the various serious issues that need to be taken care of.  But on a positive note, this show is almost at 150,000 for the year so make sure you are sharing and talking about how awesome the show is.  For those of you that want to get me something for Father’s Day, you can go to amazon and by my book, “The Chasm” as it's a non-fiction book looking at Black Men and Women and how they have experienced America.  But let's get into it ...  

​As the protest continues, I’m hoping everyone does their best to be safe while making their voices heard.  Regardless of how you feel about the movement, this particular movement is having a bigger impact than any of the other movements in the past few decades.  That is because lots of reports are starting to show the second wave of COVID that might end up causing the swell that overwhelms the American Medical System.  The numbers were already creeping back up with states opening up prematurely as we now know, but these protests have potentially taken transmission to another level in a situation where people have simply not been protecting themselves.  To be clear I am not speaking against the protesters, I believe you can protest and be safe at the same time.  As has already been mentioned, the numbers were starting to rise before the protest began. But that’s why it’s important that in this episode we get back to the Cares Act with it’s $2 Trillion price tag.  In this episode of Lessons from the Screen we are getting into part 2 of the Education Provisions.  

​The death of one person is seldom noticed by the world, more than 150K people die each and every day.  More than 7,000 of those deaths occur in America on any given day.  100s are killed each day due to gun violence.  Even when it comes to the Black People losing their lives at the hands of cops we are looking at a number that some claim to be as high as 2 or 3 times per day.  While the exact numbers can be disputed, what can’t be disputed is that Black People are far more likely to be killed at the hands of the police than White People in any circumstance and 99% of the time those police officers face no charges. As I said earlier, the death of one person is seldom noticed by the world, and that is still the case, but the trail of deaths in addition to the actions and rhetoric of high ranking American officials have caused the rest of the world to take notice of a glaring contradiction in America.  A video of a Black Human being brutally and mercilessly murdered by a police officer that was ignoring his pleas has seemingly caught the attention of the entire world, and the protests have been ongoing and relentless.  In this episode of Lessons from the Screen Patrick is going to share his thoughts and send his message of support to the protesters on the front lines.  

​Things keep on going, the CDC declared that covid can’t survive as well on surfaces as they once thought.  Trump continues giving bad advice and doing everything he can to downplay how bad things are in America and his role in making them that way.  Vaccines are well into human trials.  The cold war between China and the US continues to heat up (or get colder).  Hong Kong has retaking a bit of time in the global news cycle.  And Lessons from the screen continues its trek through HR 748 aka 2 Trillion Damn Dollars.

​This week we are going to continue our push. As the governments around the world are starting to see cases rise again after reopening, states here in America are also executing a phased reopening but thus far it’s too early to tell if it was a good idea or a bad idea.  Reports continue to surface about the politics influencing (or attempting to anyway) the science as healthcare officials all over the nation are making statements about political pressure to report lower numbers.  The political war between China and the US is still going as propaganda and rhetoric pick up.  There is also talk of a second round of stimulus payments as the house passed a program that would give households $1500 per person up to $6000.  With all that said, on this episode we are going to continue moving forward going into part 3 and 4 or title 3 finishing up Subtitle A.   

​Part 6 in the series on the stimulus package, we are going to be going through Part 2 of Title 3 in HR 748 the CARES act.  This section covers access to Health Care for COVID-19 Patients.  As the list of symptoms continue to get longer, the virus continues to mutate, and previously safe places experience a resurgence in viral cases, this section is more important than ever.  It is important to note that the virus is now having an increased effect on children causing immune overdrive conditions that can and have resulted in death. 

​As we start into the 3rd title and the 5th show in this series, we also take note of the many things that are currently going on.  Kim Jong Un has returned to the public after being missing and many suspecting he may be sick or dead.  China and America continue their cold war in another display of the cyclical battle between the emergent power and the old power.  Covid-19 continues its rapid spread across the globe even as many countries and states begin to re-open or talk about reopening.  Disadvantaged communities in America also continue to show an over-representation in the numbers of the infected and dead.  People are attacking and killing each other over minor disputes as tensions continue to be high.  

One thing that I will get into with all that’s going on right now is a recent conversation I had with a couple of people who I respect immensely regarding the natural occurrence of viruses.  But with all that and more happening we will move into Title 3 covering changes and support for the Health Care System as we continue to see what you can buy with 2 trillion damn dollars!

There continues to be a lot to talk about.  Covid’s effects on the brain, a second wave, Trump’s continued crazy medical advice and the effects of his daily briefs are all on the list.  Along with the renewed interest in Joe Biden’s assault allegation, the disappearance of North Korea’s Leader, the continuing spread of Covid-19, and the spreading protest of the government lock down.  But we still have a job to do, and that job remains getting through the most expensive piece of legislation in American History, so we continue with part 4 of $2 Trillion damn dollars, what can you buy with that.

​There continues to be a lot to talk about regarding the world both involving and not involving Covid-19. The situation in Hong Kong is still an ongoing situation complicated in a lot of regards by Covid-19 (we talked about that in a previous show).  The president and his beef with the World Health Organization, politicians that don’t agree with him, state governors, and responsibility in general would all make individual shows on their own.  The narrative shifts about the source of Covid-19 and weaponized disinformation, the spread of Covid-19 (2.5M+ world wide with nearly 1M in America and nearly 200,000 deaths with 50K in America), the nursing home issues and the effects on the Black Community would  all also make for interesting shows in their own right.  We could also talk about the situation brewing in the middle east concerning the military strikes the US initiated in march or the fact that the stimulus set asides for small businesses have run out without reaching those most in need.  The debate over antimalarials has also taken interesting turns with new studies coming out showing that they more than double the chance of death.

Even with a second round of stimulus incoming and the effects of this stimulus starting to be shown through botched payments and failed systems, we have to continue to digest the most significant piece of legislation to come into law in recent memory and in terms of cost we could say one of the most significant ever.  So we are going to be continuing the second title of HR 748, the CARES Act, covering the stimulus, retirements, charitable contributions and more.

​TITLE II—ASSISTANCE FOR AMERICAN WORKERS, FAMILIES, AND BUSINESSES
Subtitle A—Unemployment Insurance Provisions

Continuing what we started last week, this week we are talking about the second title of HR 748 or the CARES Act aka 2 trillion damn dollars!     

The Beast is here!  Today we start our series looking into the largest stimulus package in American History.  For once Trump can say he signed the biggest bill into law in American History and not have the fact checkers start twitching.  As Covid-19 continues to spiral out of control here in the US, a 3rd bill has become law centered on getting the country through this intact.  We talked about the money in the last 2 laws, both of those pale in comparison to the $2 trillion dollars at work here.  But at more than 850 pages, there is a lot more going on than simply stimulating the economy.  At that is what we are going to be digging into.  In this episode of Lessons from the Screen, we are going to be looking at HR 748 aka the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.    

​We are getting back into it this week.  2 weeks ago on March 18th, HR 6201 or The Families First Coronavirus Response Act was put in place.  While I know the message we released Sunday said we were going to be talking about this law and the historic stimulus package.  We decided that these bills are too important to try to cram together or rush through, and seeing as how the stimulus package is over 850 pages we decided to take our time with that.  So this episode is going to be solely focused on the First Families Act and what it does.  If we have enough time to put together a quality episode, we will see you Wednesday with the first episode of our series on the stimulus package, if not, then we will be at you on Saturday.  But be sure, this law that we are covering today is filled with things that you are going to want to know.     

Covid-19 has made everyone change the way they do things.  Unfortunately for this show, a lot of those changes have interfered with our ability to maintain our schedule.  We will still be producing a show it is just delayed at the moment because we don't want to put out a sub-par product.  We expect the show to be released Monday with another show released a few days later and another one released a few days after that as we catch up with the latest legislative activity.