On this edition of the “Dissenter Weekly,” host and Shadowproof editor Kevin Gosztola joins various media organizations in highlighting the testimony of Rick Bright, the former deputy assistant secretary for preparedness and response at Health and Human Services (HHS) and former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA.

Bright was retaliated against by officials in President Donald Trump’s administration after he recommended in January that the administration take the coronavirus pandemic more seriously. He also challenged cronyism, including the manner in which certain drugs were fast-tracked for approval to address COVID-19 simply because a company had political connections to Jared Kushner or others.

“Most Americans want the same thing–a return to normal,” Bright testified to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “The normal of 2019 is not going to return, but we all have an opportunity to shape the new normal of 2020 and beyond.”

Later in the show, Gosztola discusses complaints from a whistleblower in the TSA, who says N95 respirator masks were hoarded but not used, and a Maine state trooper, who objected to illegal surveillance of protests and a camp for Israeli and Arab teens.

Gosztola also provides an update on NSA whistleblower Reality Winner, who appealed district court ruling against her request for compassionate release.

This week’s stories:

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