The coronavirus crisis proves the complete failure of Donald Trump in the White House, said David Brooks and Mark Shields on PBS NewsHour last night:
David Brooks: …I found it an enraging week. We sat here many years ago, when we saw images of Katrina and bodies floating in New Orleans. And I think both Mark and I felt a deep sense of anger.
And I feel a deep sense of anger that our government has responded so badly.
And, frankly, it’s — this is what happens when you elect a sociopath as president, who doesn’t care, who has treated this whole thing for the past month as if it’s about him, how do people like me, minimizing the risks, does the stock market reflect well on me, and he hasn’t done the things a normal human being would do, which was to, let’s take precautions.
Let’s do the backup things we need to do. Any president would sit down with his team and say, people will suffer here. Let’s get ready.
And he’s incapable of that. And he’s even created an information distortion field around him. Even today, the press conference today was all his propaganda. It wasn’t honest with people.
And then with Yamiche’s perfectly good question about an agency, maybe he didn’t know when that part of the National Security Council was shut down, but he should know about it by now.
And so the fact that he wasn’t even aware of this is a sign that nobody is willing to tell him bad news. And we have got a dysfunctional process at the heart of the administration at a time of great national crisis.
Mark Shields: …America First fails. If there’s ever a time for international cooperation, collegiality at a personal and national level, professional level, this is it.
I mean, I think if Americans were informed and put to the test, whom do you want — who do you want in charge of this, this epidemic, Dr. Tony Fauci or Donald Trump, they would — anybody who have watched would say Dr. Tony Fauci.
I mean, he’s knowledgeable, he’s straight, he’s direct, he’s candid, he’s thoughtful. He’s everything that we want.
The president is impulsive and uninformed. He has misled the people that it was contained. Any president of the United States saying he’s going to leave Americans on a boat docked off of California, rather than bring them ashore for treatment because they might — because it would increase the number of people, would hurt his numbers, would hurt my numbers, that’s somebody not lacking in empathy.
That’s somebody with an empathy void. And it just — to me, it’s — I think it’s a seminal moment in the Trump presidency, when we realize, in spite of my 401(k) having been terrific, now all of a sudden it’s at jeopardy, and he really puts the nation at jeopardy and the health of my family and my friends at jeopardy [links added; “Shields and Brooks on Leadership in a Time of Crisis,” PBS NewsHour, 2020.03.13].
Leaders with conscience would resign over leadership this bad. Family and staff with conscience would push such failed leaders to resign and let competent, caring professionals take their place.
Lives are at risk because Donald Trump refuses to do the job the American President must do. Election Day can’t come soon enough.
So very true. The past few weeks changed my mind on Trump. I was not a pro Trump person before, but I also was not against him.
I today would support removing him from office. He is totally clueless on what is going on and what to do.
I’m glad you’re able to look at the situation realistically, Scott. Maybe more Americans will realize that the Presidency isn’t just a “reality” TV show where we can vote on our whims for the sake of entertainment. The Presidency, Congress, the whole federal government is really an important and powerful institution that requires honest, capable, expert management.
I was disheartened by Brooks’ “sociopath” comment. I believe it’s needlessly provocative in context of an emergency situation.
I’m not a Trump fan, but I accept the fact that he’s the U.S. President. I also accept that he’s going to act the way he acts. I refuse to buy into the Groundhog Day-like surprise every time he violates a political or social convention or says/does something provocative.
I am encouraged by the fact that his COVID-19 statements have almost always included a phalanx of senior government officials and experts with whom he shares the microphone. Regardless of his editorial comments, the country gets to see and hear from the people making the actual decisions and setting the policies the government will implement. This is a refreshing change and a step forward from “typical” issues where Trump will pretend to be the smartest man in the room and hog the platform.
Is this perfect? Hardly? But it’s far better than a Trump Administration response could be/could have been.
The “experts” are political appointees sir. They have about as much knowledge as you do on this virus. The very fact that your president and his “experts” gutted the actual response team that could have had a jump on this is what shows the republican fear of this sociopath. These commentators got it right.
Why is it needlessly provocative to say exactly the truth the people need to hear? Trump may share the microphone, but he ignores and undermines his flanking experts’ messages because of his own dogged refusal to shut up and learn and act like a leader. He’s still doing his smartest-man-in-the-room act, to the detriment of good policy and civic information. “Better than it could have been”—sure, let’s put that on the campaign hats.
Sorry, here is the link 1.31.2020
“For the United States, the answers are especially worrying because the government has intentionally rendered itself incapable. In 2018, the Trump administration fired the government’s entire pandemic response chain of command, including the White House management infrastructure. In numerous phone calls and emails with key agencies across the U.S. government, the only consistent response I encountered was distressed confusion. If the United States still has a clear chain of command for pandemic response, the White House urgently needs to clarify what it isIf the United States still has a clear chain of command for pandemic response, the White House urgently needs to clarify what it is—not just for the public but for the government itself, which largely finds itself in the dark.” https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/01/31/coronavirus-china-trump-united-states-public-health-emergency-response/
The blame clearly lands on trumps shoulders and also the shoulders of those that support him politically. He is most assuredly, a sociopath.
See also Peter Wehner’s explanation of the failure of the Trump Administration, which we all should have seen coming:
Wehner goes on to itemize specific failures of the Trump Administration that have worsened the public health crisis. He provokes us, necessarily, to recognize that the boss isn’t doing the job and that, far from making excuses for him, we should replace him as soon as possible.
Cory said, “Election Day can’t come soon enough.”
What happens when Donald Trump uses this pandemic to institute emergency powers to cancel elections? Some governors have delayed elections, already. I’m not confident at all that the Republicans are going to want to hold elections, and they could throw a huge monkey wrench that creates, essentially, a coup.
Another thing. I hope election officials are thinking about getting more polling sites to reduce the numbers of people having to congregate in one spot. Also, reducing the size of lines by mail-in ballots, etc.
drumpf got a copy of yesterday’s Dow gains, autographed it and sent it to friends, like he had something to do with the good stuff. The Dow had an impressive day, however, it did not erase the losses from the day before, which drumpf totally ignored.
I’d like to see more polling places, as well. I fear that wingnut govs will place them all in wealthy white neighborhoods who will not allow the poor to enter. They cannot win without cheating. Simple irrefutable fact of election life.
dumbass dubya was intellectually uncurious, but drumpf beats that in spades. drumpf thinks he has a innate knowledge of everything and blusters and bullies and lies and then pats himself on the back for being so smart.
He is not smart. He is a dangerous psychopath. Dangerous to the entire world.
mfi, the FED, injected 1.5 Trillion bailout into the markets, so it’s appropriate that he signed the failure. We have no test kits, we have people who clearly have died (just like Puerto Rico) that have not been counted in the Covid-19. Our numbers clearly are those of Italy and Spain combined, we just have not bothered to count all with appropriate testing.
“The Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Thursday took steps to inject more than $1.5 trillion into the markets in a bid to calm investors who are fearful of the economic impact of the coronavirus.
Stocks briefly pared their steep losses Thursday afternoon. But the extremely volatile market activity continued: The Dow Jones industrial average and S&P 500 index were down 7.8% and 7.3%, respectively, around 1:40 p.m.
With market chaos swirling, the New York Fed’s Open Market Trading Desk revealed plans to flood the short-term funding markets with capital.” https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/03/12/coronavirus-new-york-federal-reserve-stock-market-liquidity/5032970002/
The stock market is really like a bunch of insurance guys selling one another policies so they can goose their numbers for their own nest egg. The 401K is just a licence to steal that crap shoot investment into a pie in the sky. Better to try to keep that 2nd and 3rd gig job and put it in a mattress that is dry and mouse proof and you will probably do better.
Ibuprofen, be careful. “French authorities have warned that widely used over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs may worsen the coronavirus.
The country’s health minister, Olivier Véran, who is a qualified doctor and neurologist, tweeted on Saturday: “The taking of anti-inflammatories [ibuprofen, cortisone … ] could be a factor in aggravating the infection. In case of fever, take paracetamol. If you are already taking anti-inflammatory drugs, ask your doctor’s advice.”https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/14/anti-inflammatory-drugs-may-aggravate-coronavirus-infection
https://apnews.com/e9d289a802222800a6eeb56e6be28333
From the article:
[National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Dr. Anthony] Fauci was unflappable answering questions for hours from the House Oversight and Reform committee last week __ except if there was any hint of questioning his scientific integrity.
“I served six presidents and I have never done anything other than tell the exact scientific evidence and made policy recommendations based on the science and the evidence,” he said.
Democrats and Republicans have welcomed his approach.
“The scientists I’ve spoken with in committee see you as the lead man, and I believe most of America does,” Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., told Fauci.
Democratic Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts praised Fauci for accurately stating that a vaccine would not be available in a matter of months, contrary to what Trump has suggested at times.
“You have a certain level of credibility and honesty that I think … should be persuasive to the American people,” Lynch told him.
More: https://www.niaid.nih.gov/about/director
Fausi’s boss, Azar, a political appointee whose claim to fame was as a lobbyist.
“Even as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention takes blame for testing delays that may have led to hundreds of Americans being infected with the coronavirus, officials inside the health agency and the White House are increasingly pointing the finger at one leader: Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who they say failed to coordinate the response, as agency chiefs waited for instructions that came too late and other deputies were largely cut out of the process.
Numerous problems with the Trump administration’s testing regimen have come to light: Coronavirus tests developed by CDC were flawed, possibly because the lab itself was contaminated. The resulting lack of test capacity forced U.S. officials to screen a limited number of patients in January and February, with the CDC testing fewer than 500 Americans at the same time that China was likely testing at least 1 million of its own residents. Meanwhile, public health officials had no fallback testing option until the Food and Drug Administration granted approval for hospitals and other labs to develop their own homegrown tests on Saturday — more than six weeks after the first U.S. case of coronavirus was identified.” https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/02/azar-crosshairs-delays-coronavirus-tests-118796
Meanwhile, we still do not have the testing available that we need. China does and has given 100,000 test kits to Italy and is also giving them to Spain. We used to be a leader in the world, now we seem to be not great thanks to trump and his republican supporters.
I’m glad Fauci is trustworthy.
Trumpelstilskins are in super denial stage. Their hero did not decimate that CDC team! Anyone who says he did is a liar! Basically anyone who posts anything negative about their hero is a liar. It’s a psycho thing.
Cory said, “…Election Day can’t come soon enough…” – Never in Stephen Miller’s wildest dreams did he imagine that one day he might be able stop and/or influence the election of the President. ‘Tis too close for comfort.
If the government were being “run like a business”, with Trump as CEO, the board of directors (congress) would have fired him (removed him from office via conviction in an impeachment trial) over this, among other malfeasant behavior.
Come to think of it, he never would have made it past the applicant stage to getting an interview, let alone been hired.
If Trump has lost David Brooks perhaps there is hope for the electorate. If I’m not mistaken, I always hear his name as a sort of “apologist” for Trump. These are strong, overdue, and very necessary words from him. Trump doesn’t abduct people out of parking lots like other sociopaths; his crimes are primarily power- and economic-related, but they ruin lives just as surely as the Ted Bundys of the world. And the “stupidification” (did I say it?–then it’s a word) of the country’s dialogue brought about by him and Fox News and all other right-wing media is inexcusable and is something we may never recover from.
Good comment kj.
Faux Noize has shut down a Bidness reporter whose fawning adulation and dismissing of this grave health threat brought so much blow back. Trish Regan is “on hiatus” for an undefined period.
Bumbling Bozo gave a presser, his usual bizarre behavior fully on exhibit.
“It’s not a Trump presser without a ‘Sir’ story, which we know automatically are lies thanks to Daniel Dale’s great analysis. It’s also not a Trump presser if he’s not openly admitting that the only thing that matters to him is the stock market, and that the only motivation behind any of his actions is to profit financially. Throw in a fully unsubstantiated claim that what he’s doing has *never been done before* and you have the hat trick, my friends.”
is.gd/7jDwWh
The piece by Aliza Washington in Crooks and Liars included his usual misogynistic shot at a reporter as well.
Sen. Sherrod Brown provided another piece of evidence proving, yet again, that Incompetent Imbecile absolutely was personally involved and in favor of and responsible for trashing the emergency epidemic group. It’s all on that filthy scum.
is.gd/YJrNdo
Might be for the best Covid-19 didn’t start in America under drumpf Dunce. China, at the very least, has a competent and stable government and leader. Once great America? Not so much.
“How has Taiwan, a country on China’s doorstep, managed to contain COVID-19 when so many countries have failed? One answer is leadership, and at the very top.”
Taiwan Might Hold the Key to Preventing the Coronavirus
https://flip.it/4SQ88B
(Short, no paywall)
The House has passed a mandatory 10 days sick leave for all US employees; the White House has agreed ONLY with a carved out exception for big businesses: “Big businesses don’t have to comply. Companies with more than 500 employees are not required to give workers sick leave or family leave under the bill. And small companies with 50 employers or fewer can seek hardship exemptions from the policy, narrowing its impact even more. Millions of workers are left out, increasing the risk that they’ll do their jobs while sick and further the spread of this virus.” https://www.huffpost.com/entry/big-businesses-get-a-pass-on-sick-leave-in-coronavirus-aid-deal_n_5e6d26e5c5b6747ef11e29bb
So even on the government’s tab, big business do not want to help out employees – even in a pandemic. I suppose this is the logical extension of the Right/GOP position that health care is a commodity that resides only with those able to pay. “Pro-Life.”
Great link Debbo!!
o, a 1.5 trillion dollar bailout to big business and they still want more. The thing with big business is that they all need the consumers to keep buying. Without that, big business is broke. We set a damn poor example to the world on how business is conducted.
Thanks Jerry.
We’re setting a damn poor example on how to care for citizens, meet medical needs, manage an epidemic…. oh hell. Medical Moron and his Mental Munchkins are setting a damn poor example on pretty much everything.
Debbo, we, more or less all of us, have forgotten the solidarity that we had in our past. We used to help our fellow citizens out with as much as we could when the times were bad. Now we treat each other as competitors for some grain of the rice we hold so selfishly.
When we look to the great care that the Italian people are showing one another in this catastrophe and when you look at the generosity of China to Italy and Spain for the goods and masks and working test kits that are desperately needed, one must feel shamed at what we’ve become. I, myself, do not want any part whatsoever about making America great again. Three years ago, we were leaders of the world. We stood for something, now we fall for anything. From an absolute failure by our CDC to the complete failure of the very highest office in the land. This must change and soon.
Wow, Covid-19 is about profits. That’s right, the sale of the vaccine will make billions of Euros or dollars. The crooked trump is trying to purchase a German firm that is working on a vaccine. For trump, your death is a profit for him.
“Berlin is trying to stop Washington from persuading a German company seeking a coronavirus vaccine to move its research to the United States, prompting German politicians to insist no country should have a monopoly on any future vaccine.
Germany’s Health Ministry confirmed a report in newspaper Welt am Sonntag, which said President Donald Trump had offered funds to lure the company CureVac to the United States, and the German government was making counter-offers to tempt it to stay.” https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/15/coronavirus-germany-tries-to-stop-us-luring-away-firm-seeking-vaccine.html
Jerry, we (the US) now only stand for the continued obscene accumulation of wealth by the most wealthy under any circumstances and through every scenario.
o, that is true. The wealthy have taken great inventions like battery improvements and bought and killed them, just to keep us on the teat to destruction. Everything is profit driven.
On a side note. The Holy Week has been suspended. It turns out Pontius Pilate was the only rich guy that washed his hands to go out.
The common crook in the white house does not have time for the virus, but he does have time to pardon another common criminal, Michael Flynn. There is no end to the criminality of this group of republican outlaws.
drumpf tried to bribe German scientists to sell rights to corona virus to US exclusively and then wanted the company to relocate in America for a yooooge sum of taxpayer money.
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/03/trump-offered-german-firm-large-sum-for-exclusive-coronavirus-vaccine-to-make-sure-it-would-be-available-for-profit-report/
Mr. Wyland’s comments display the power of lowered expectations: a President whose base considers his word biblical truth speaking about the virus in a way that will put more people at risk isn’t a big deal because he has experts around him who contradict him.
We are through the looking glass here, Mike.
This PSA is without question the best COVID-19 ad I’ve seen. (Not suitable for young children.😁)
is.gd/MepY9V
In addition, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for immediate new POTUS. Listen to his presidential nature as he addresses the state about the Peacetime State of Emergency he has declared. It’s what we should hear from a president. Organized, calm, thoughtful, planned, reasonable, broad, encompassing, reassuring, honest, etc.
is.gd/mqG9hG
Dicta, here’s what’s *really* going on, straight from the racist right:
Well, the truth has come out about COVID-19. It’s actually a human manufactured virus created by Bill Gates and the racist right’s favorite bogeyman, President Obama. The goal is to get the entire world inoculated because in the serum is actually a nano chip for each human being on the planet!
Nothing is going on in China. Righties know that because there is a FB post from someone saying that quarantined people in China are shouting out their windows, “It’s all fake!”
There you go. If that isn’t proof ………
No. That is not proof of anything but a collection of fervently over active imaginations. Holy moly.
I hadn’t been thinking about the Deep South, but COVID-19 is going to devastate those states. The people and their state governments are acting according to what Faux Noize and Rush Limpballs tell them, so they’re taking no precautions and indulging in very risky behavior. In addition, they don’t have the medical infrastructure needed. National Memo lays it out.
is.gd/LvYxiH
Dow down 3000. 😳 is.gd/c7oDd1
My Congresswoman is keeping her constituents updated and consulting with the schools, businesses and local governments often. Here’s how she is closing her emails:
Stay safe and be kind to one another,
Angie Craig
Member of Congress
To add to what Debbo says above….. But the market closed Monday at a historic low of 2,997.10, nearly a 12 percent drop. It eliminated 96 percent of the gains since Trump entered office and began bragging about his stock market numbers.
The market is nearing the -place where Obama’s failed economy was when drumpf was appointed Czarina.
One more COVID-19 thing. Axios is very reliable and has just posted a constantly updated, worldwide, COVID-19 dashboard.
is.gd/fs4JRy
drumpf’s Dow is 361 points above Obama’s high point. Going bigly in the wrong direction. Of course we know who is blaming Dems for the problem, don’t we?
Gov. Walz just issued an order closing all bars, restaurants and “places of amusement” at 5:00pm tomorrow. Drive through and take out is still available.
😳😳😳
Thanks to republicans, we will see how badly we are fixed with our healthcare system. This falls directly to the republicans and to their failures of protecting citizens. Yep, EB5 Rounds and Thune, step up to see your death panels. We are now at 4,500 and soon will surpass Italy, what a mess.
“In the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus pandemic, doctors made life-or-death decisions last month when 1,000 people needed ventilators to support their breathing, but only 600 were available.
In Iran, where numerous high-level officials have been infected, doctors sought unsuccessfully to get the international community to lift sanctions so they could purchase more lifesaving machines.
And in northern Italy, doctors took the painful step last week of issuing guidelines for rationing ventilators and other essential medical equipment, prioritizing treatment for the young and others with the best chance of survival.” Washington Post 03.16.20
drumpf’s body count climbed by 18 today to a total of 85. What was once a Dem perpetrated hoax that would disappear in warm weather in a month or so looks to be hanging around until August. Even Fake Noize has finally decided to tell partial truth that corona virus was not a hoax.
Africa and its country’s are reporting the virus and last I looked, Ethiopia and Somalia are not cold countries and neither is Iraq and Iran. The trump virus will not go away in April as he said, nor May, nor June or July. This will be with us for some time.
Our goal now is to rid ourselves of the two viruses, trump and the Covid-19.
Words of whiz dumb by one of wingnut’s stoopidest congresspukes, Devin numbnuts….
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/03/devin-nunes-clarifies-that-when-he-told-people-to-go-to-the-local-pub-he-meant-a-drive-thru-pub/
Hell, cops are fighting corona virus by releasing prisoners and not making many arrests. Numbnuts should be tarred and feathered then boiled in owl spit.
South Africa reported one fatality from COVID-19, March 7th. My connections from Mozambique and Kenya have not reported any more casualties thus far. Their most reliable source of information, (WHO) as it should be.
Schools in iowa are shut until April, according to Guv’s wishes.
This is a time to take politics out as we have people go through hard times. Any poets? Something to stimulate our brains instead of feeling down. To me, DFP keeps me inspired! Thank you, Cory for providing me a place to connect with your loyal readers and contributors. Stay safe and healthy, everyone!
Arkansas Sinator, Cotton, wants to give every adult a thousand bucks per month to float the economy. He could give us all a billion bucks a month and we could float the economy in style.
Of course, there are sticky details like how this gets paid for. I’m guessing, from past experience with these people?, the likeliest scenario would be taxcuts for the wealthy redux.
Ms. Hart, what is known about testing in African countries, are those test kits coming from China?
Ask and ye shall receive, Jerry…..https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/16/africa/jack-ma-donate-masks-coronavirus-africa/index.html
Since Medical Moron is calling it the “Chinese Virus,” to burnish his racist credentials, I believe I might begin referring to it as the “trump virus.”
I just got a notice from Facebook about this link that I posted after seeing it here. Facebook has decided it violates community standards. I have no idea why. I suppose some meathead Trump cultist has bitched about it. Somehow correctly labeling Trump as a sociopath would not seem to violate anything and I heard Brooks say it on public TV. This is a puzzlement for me.
Great link mfi, Mr. Wiken, Facebook is clearly a Russian asset so it’s no surprise they took it down.
That’s interesting, Douglas! Did Facebook ban the link to this blog post or to the original PBS Brooks/Shields interview?
There’s a difference between gratuitously calling someone a knucklehead or some more vulgar colloquialism and using a term like sociopath to say exactly what it means about a person who fits the definition. As I suspected, Facebook’s community standards do not include truth.
USS Comfort, medical ship, docking in New York City as the city is running out of emergency room beds
I’ve heard from others that FB has tossed various posts that don’t seem to have any problem with “community standards.” That was followed by FB’s apology and something about a faulty algorithm or something. Dunno.
Market Summary > Dow Jones Industrial Average
INDEXDJX: .DJI
19,185.01 −2,052.37 (9.66%)
Mar 18, 3:35 PM EDT · Disclaimer
10% ethanol gas is $1.45 per gallon in Sutherland, iowa.
drumpf has been congratulating himself for taking decisive action all them hours ago on corona virus and the economy. Methinks the economy and the virus give a hoot what drumpf does.
I haven’t been impressed. either.
This comes from a recent paper by Yochai Benkler, a Harvard professor and co-author of Network Propaganda: Manipulation, Disinformation, and Radicalization in American Politics.
“The most recent Pew survey of news sources used and trusted by Democrats and Republicans suggests that, surprisingly, the most used and trusted sources by both centrist lean republicans and lean democrats are CBS, ABC, and NBC. It becomes critical that these outlets be particularly attentive to how they cover the news, what sort of frame they offer for propagandist pronouncement by the president, and so forth. The hard core of the Republican base who spend their days purely in Limbaugh-Hannity land are lost. But they are only enough to win a Republican primary, not repeated elections. And so the critical pathway to a more reasoned public discourse is for these core mainstream media, trusted by a substantial minority of lean-republican voters, to be ever more vigilant not to spread disinformation, not to stoke the fires, and to understand that professionalism and truth seeking do not mean neutrality when you are reporting in a highly asymmetric media ecosystem like ours.”
I found it quoted on Dr. Sheila Kennedy’s blog, right here, is.gd/c49ozZ
The entire post is very much worth reading.
“On Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin met with Republican senators and said he was working with President Trump on the economic package. They are discussing payments to small businesses, loan guarantees for industries like airlines and hotels, and a stimulus package for workers.”
NPR is.gd/AsxZ9J
Mnuchin is also meeting with Pelosi on this. Note that it says “loan” guarantees for big businesses, not give aways. That I can accept.
From Axios by Mike Allen:
“The coronavirus can spread faster in densely populated cities than in rural areas, but rural America has a higher-risk population and fewer safety-net programs for people who get sick.”
is.gd/gxRCqr
There’s more and it highlights a state like SD. The policies of the SDGOP for the past half century are having dire consequences for South Dakotans. Please be careful and take proper precautions.
Pray for the messiah to return……. The Trump Slump continued just as JPMorgan Chase issued a report titled “The day the earth stood still,” which forecast that real annualized U.S. gross domestic product would plummet to -4.0% for the first quarter of 2020, and then to a jaw-dropping -14.0% in the second quarter as a result of coronavirus economic fallout.
That is a far cry from the promised 4-6% growth drumpf claimed because of his business acumen.
-14%. 👁 👁 👁 👁
GOP has no clue how to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. They have completely failed at governing for the past half century plus. We need President Biden and a competent administration ASAP!
Some local chain grocery stores are redoing hours so people at risk for corona virus can have an hour of shopping time early so they won’t be harassed by other shoppers. They have to hope shoppers honor these changes.
I’ve seen that happening in more and more stores now.
America is scared S#: less (so why the need for toilet paper). We’re spooked and you can tell that if you go to any grocery store now. Man, it looks like the store is closing. South Dakota is spooked, make no mistake. The dummies may claim that this is all hype but they’re sure buying up a lot of toilet paper, which makes me wonder, what were they wiping with before?. No leadership on the local, the state or the federal. Now you clearly see what you get with republicans, not much. Take care of yourselves and maybe help out that old neighbor, even if he is a brainless twit that thinks trump is the man.
If you must go to the grocery store, don’t buy so much W.I.C. (Women, Infants, Children) as those food items are especially for those with food stamps and help. Thanks, be a good neighbor.
Russia reminds me so much of South Dakota, no wonder Dirty Johnson’s gal pal Maria Butina saw the same kind of knuckleheads here as the Mother Russia. Here are her comrades building a new corona Virus hospital outside Moscow. Take a look and a listen and I’m sure you will see one of your trumpian pals.
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-51945855/coronavirus-temporary-hospital-being-built-in-moscow
While we dither and think that we have the greatest healthcare system in the world, others know better.
The GOP has been very consistent in the past 120 years. They’ve never failed to fail us in a crisis.
Some of the steps O brien County, iowa has taken to stop the spread of corona virus…..
https://www.belltimescourier.com/story/2020/03/19/news/stay-home/2825.html
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/03/listen-secret-audio-reveals-rop-gop-senator-new-weeks-ago-just-how-devastating-covid-19-is-but-didnt-warn-the-public/
U.S. Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr, Republican of North Carolina, three weeks ago told a private, exclusive audience just how lethal and devastating coronavirus is, but said nothing to the general public.
“There’s one thing I can tell you about this: It is much more aggressive in its transmission than anything we have seen in recent history,” Senator Burr says in the secret audio recording (below) obtained by NPR.
What people don’t know can kill them, huh?
Watch for suicide rates to explode as Hallmark is bringing back christmaS marathon movies for people stuck at home. Euwwwwwwww!
Hey young guys and gals, new study shows that your group is not immune to this virus, in fact, your group is just as likely as the rest of us old flatulence to being hospitalized with serious issues.
“The deadly coronavirus has been met with a bit of a shrug among some in the under-50 set in the United States. Even as public health officials repeatedly urged social distancing, the young and hip spilled out of bars on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. They gleefully hopped on flights, tweeting about the rock-bottom airfares. And they gathered in packs on beaches.
Their attitudes were based in part on early data from China, which suggested covid-19 might seriously sicken or kill the elderly — but spare the young.”
Stark new data from the United States and Europe suggests otherwise.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis of U.S. cases from Feb. 12 to March 16 released Wednesday shows 38 percent of those sick enough to be hospitalized were younger than 55.” Washington Post 3.19.20
Let’s all take care of ourselves and not think that some of us are not to be worried.
Debbo, my apologies for the long delay in responding to your comment. I am not able to answer your question that for certain what precautions are put in place. Although there is undeniably a large presence of Chinese nationals in Mozambique so I would assume the Chinese government would make it a priority to act quickly to protect their nationals and economical interests. I will keep you updated.
Meanwhile, in Italy, not enough funeral homes to care for the dead…so they stay home. What are our plans for more deaths than we can bury or burn? Seriously, what are our plans for what’s coming and already here? Do we order some particle board and build our own?
“Coffins awaiting burial are lining up in churches and the corpses of those who died at home are being kept in sealed-off rooms for days as funeral services struggle to cope in Bergamo, the Italian province hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
As of Wednesday, Covid-19 had killed 2,978 across Italy, all buried or cremated without ceremony. Those who die in hospital do so alone, with their belongings left in bags beside coffins before being collected by funeral workers.”https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/19/generation-has-died-italian-province-struggles-bury-coronavirus-dead
Sounds like the Black Plague.
Iran is digging trenches for bodies.
“Operation Crimson Contagion” showed full the failure of trump/republican and their effort to just inform the wealthy of what was coming. What a disconnect from being an elected official to being a paid stooge by the wealthy to make more money on death and chaos.
“The chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee warned a small group of well-connected constituents three weeks ago to prepare for dire economic and societal effects of the coronavirus, according to a secret recording obtained by NPR.
The remarks from U.S. Sen. Richard Burr were more stark than any he had delivered in more public forums.
On Feb. 27, when the United States had 15 confirmed cases of COVID-19, President Trump was tamping down fears and suggesting that the virus could be seasonal.” https://www.npr.org/2020/03/19/818192535/burr-recording-sparks-questions-about-private-comments-on-covid-19
VOTE BLUE, THAT’S WHO.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/20/crystal-mason-texas-upholds-sentence-voter-suppression
Couple of things, one being the prosecutors informed the appeals court they had not told the lady she was ineligible to vote. Appeals judge says that is irrelevant.
Numero 2.0, the lady in question filled out a provisional ballot that was never counted. How is that voting?
Sheila Kennedy reviews a book by a long time GOP operative who describes the party as the “white grievance party” and admits it’s only core value is racism.
is.gd/bYa7nz
Good read, Debbo. Ms Kennedy comes through again. White scumacysts are telling their rank and file to get corona virus and infect Jews. They seemed nice.
Here is HRC’s newest book. https://the-immoral-minority.com/hillary-clintons-next-book/
Absolutely not safe for work and do not imbibe when you see this. You have been warned. Funny as hell, though.
Looks like outstanding literature. 🤨😂
From Politico today…. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/25/trump-coronavirus-national-security-council-149285
drumpf ignored 69 page manual on how to handle a pandemic printed in 2016 by the CDC.
Of course he did. That would have required reading, thinking, rational assessment, etc. He has none of those skills.
“The LameStream Media is the dominant force in trying to get me to keep our Country closed as long as possible in the hope that it will be detrimental to my election success,” Trump wrote. “The real people want to get back to work ASAP. We will be stronger than ever before!”
CNN’s Jake Tapper responded in kind: “Just complete and utter nonsense. We’re reporting on what top health officials IN THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION are saying so as to responsibly deal with the pandemic and save lives.”
And speaking on MSNBC, Associated Press reporter Jonathan Lemire pointed out how revealing the president’s tweet was.
“He just spelled it out for us,” Lemire said. “His attempts at being re-elected, his interest in being re-elected is fueling a lot of these decisions right now. It’s about politics far more than public health.”
National Memo
is.gd/n5gkKn
United States Coronavirus: 79,082 Cases and 1,143 Deaths …www.worldometers.info › coronavirus › country › us
Social distancing may not be such a bad idea, whereas packing soon to be dead humans in churches for Easter may not be such a good idea.
Nearly three dozen people who attended a recent children’s event at a church in Arkansas have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to church officials.
Donald Shipp, a deacon at First Assembly of God church in Greers Ferry, about 75 miles north of Little Rock, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that 34 people who attended the event in early March at the Cleburne County church had tested positive for the coronavirus, and that an unknown number of others were awaiting test results.
Danyelle McNeill, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Health, said a number of coronavirus cases have been associated with a church in Cleburne County, which she did not identify.
Many leaders of that unidentifiable religion that bears a superficial resemblance to Christianity are bringing intense pressure to bear on members to pack their meeting sites and ignore all warnings from health professionals. I hope those leaders get COVID-19 quickly and die. Lives will be saved.
Breaking News- the US leads the world in confirmed cases of Corona virus.
mfi, we’re number 1, we’re number 1. What a proud moment that could’ve been prevented if not for republican trump and his crooked senators. Speaking of crooked South Dakota senators, how’s Thune? Dude must have some underlying health issues or just under lying. Why come back here to tax the already overtaxed healthcare system? Dude is just another selfish jerk.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/26/dpa-white-house-coronavirus-medical-supplies-150583
Kremlin annex pushes back against using DPA because businesses have stepped up efforts to supply needed items. Unfortunately they are far short of what is needed and will be needed as this drags on.
drumpf blamed Obama for shortages and has done nothing to replenish the stockpiles, let alone cover the present emergency.
We prepare for war with Canada. Wag the dog, from the idiots.
“This from Toronto:
Prime minister Justin Trudeau says he is in talks with the White House to prevent what would be an unprecedented presence of troops on the US-Canada border.
“Canada and the United States have the longest un-militarised border in the world and it is very much in both of our interests for it to remain that way,” said Trudeau during his daily briefing on Thursday.
Plans to militarise the border – first reported by Global News – appears intended to target illegal border crossers from Canada who may be infected with the coronavirus. The concern is puzzling, however, given the dramatically higher rates of infection of the Covid-19 in the United States than in Canada.
New York state, which borders Canada, has more than 30,000 confirmed cases of the virus – nearly ten times the total of Canada.” Guardian 3.26.20 3 hours ago.
Mexico is on the border telling the US to get the hell out of Mexico that they are not welcome and now we are gonna send troops to the Canadian border. Nothing worse than a bunch of Molson drinkers coming here and impregnating our women folk. Does that mean the pipeline is now over a done? Whoopee!!!
The thinking, or lack thereof, with the Canadian border is another in a long line of stupid coming from Dumb Doofus.
Nobody from other countries wants to come here with the USA having the highest number infected and so poorly prepared. Americans might be trying to sneak into Canada where it’s saner and safer.
Apparently The Atlantic had an excellent article about how the “ignorant, impulsive, misleading sociopath in the White House” has made and continues making such a death dealing debacle of this. Sheila Kennedy, Indiana University law prof and writer of one of the smartest blogs on the net, does us the favor of summarizing the article and quoting the best parts.
“Rudderless, blindsided, lethargic, and uncoordinated, America has mishandled the COVID-19 crisis to a substantially worse degree than what every health expert I’ve spoken with had feared.”
is.gd/wkutFN
Well here’s some more on who the establishment has decided should run against the current mistake of a leader:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK-noZ2xsbk
drumpf fired intel inspector general for warning about Ukraine phone call, last night. Further endangering intel and national security. Of course drumpf wants a yes man, probably kushner, to take that job as well.
Last updated: April 04, 2020, 16:53 GMT
United States
Coronavirus Cases:
293,539
Deaths:
7,896
Over 30k new cases yesterday alone.
Just heard US is suing China for $20 trillion because drumpf or someone is convinced corona virus is a manufactured bio-weapon or some such nonsense. No verification, yet.
This goes with my post @ 11:54: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/03/trump-fires-intelligence-community-inspector-general-164287
Last updated: April 04, 2020, 17:29 GMT
United States
Coronavirus Cases:
300,236
Deaths:
8,145
About the corona virus lawsuit, seems like this is a Larry Klayman joke of a suit, as if there any other kind. You may stand down and laugh heartily at Klayman’s newest folly.
WAPO delves into Kushner’s brilliance.lThey roast him alive, bwahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/04/04/how-lucky-we-are-have-jared-kushner/
Here’s who should be sued and there has been talk of it…..Fox….for spreading lies. America versus Fox.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=518F5UEueYQ&t=332s
The election as it stands right now:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT_SS-X8vrk
Some more…..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B8sB7OW2bQ
I hate paywalls, whether Wapo’s, the Strib’s (which I’m immune to), or any others.
In a deministration overloaded with useless bits of subhumanity, Jared is right down there at the bottom.
drumpf body count
Last updated: April 06, 2020, 17:32 GMT
United States
Coronavirus Cases:
352,249
Deaths:
10,372
mfi, watch trump the con when the final numbers come out officially. If they’re under 240,000 people dead, trump the con will proclaim a victory. If more than 240,000 deaths, fake news.
Whatever the case may be, the other big con called Wall Street is up on the news that trump the con and Dr. Oz (not snark) say that the worst is now behind us, so they “rally”.
Sheila Kennedy nails it again.
“Reagan began what has since become a concerted attack on the very idea of government–an attack that has benefitted corporations and businesses in a position to profit, but has eroded (“hollowed out” in the words of one scholar) the capacity of government to act on behalf of the common good.”
is.gd/1qVgV7
Last updated: April 06, 2020, 19:49 GMT
United States
Coronavirus Cases:
356,653
Deaths:
10,516
Breaking news…. UK’s Boris Johnson is in intensive care with worsening c-virus symptoms.
Oz is the kind of ex spurt drumpf relies on to back up drumpf’s highly touted (by drumpf) doctoral knowledge, Jerry. Keep up the good fight.
Last updated: April 07, 2020, 00:17 GMT
United States
Coronavirus Cases:
366,906
Deaths:
10,868
Last updated: April 07, 2020, 12:25 GMT
United States
Coronavirus Cases:
367,659
Deaths:
10,943
Last updated: April 07, 2020, 15:49 GMT
United States
Coronavirus Cases:
377,538
Deaths:
11,784
My, my my….
Last updated: April 07, 2020, 17:48 GMT
United States
Coronavirus Cases:
386,104
Deaths:
12,242
Nearly 500 more deaths in just a couple hours.
What’s the latest in South Dakota? How many tests? Do you have that mft?
1069 cases and 34 deaths in Minnesota. My county has been sitting at 4 cases for a week now so that’s good. None in congregate settings.
My Grinnell, Iowa cousin has exposed herself to COVID-19 because she chose to stay with a friend who’s in very bad shape so he wouldn’t have to suffer and possibly die alone. Cousin had a cruel father, a difficult life and has a bad heart. She’s 53. I feel like this might be suicide by COVID. I’m guessing she’s probably not alone in that. Breaks my heart.
iowa has 1048 cases confirmed, 102 new ones today and a total of 26 deaths. 78 of 99 counties are affected.
Too bad about yer cousin, Debbo. Makes one wonder, donut?
NY reported the highest daily death toll yesterday. They are not out of the woods, yet.
Any chance former poster Johnny Whodunnuit went to Great Britain to attack 5g towers?
https://the-immoral-minority.com/conspiracy-theory-linking-spread-of-the-coronavirus-to-5g-technologies-sees-people-burning-down-telecom-towers-in-uk/
Mike, I read about that goofy “theory” yesterday. Some wacko Brit started it, retracted it, but the web had grabbed it so the retraction was too late. Nuts.
Passed a couple milestones in today’s drumpf body count…. passed 400k cases and nearly 13k deaths.
Last updated: April 08, 2020, 01:45 GMT
United States
Coronavirus Cases:
400,412
Deaths:
12,854
On a sad, sad note, legendary singer John Prine passed away from corona virus at 73.
Saw that about Prine. 😢
If you can, see his Sessions on 54th Street, so good. RIP Sam Stone
Howz this for chutzpah… https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/07/politics/wisconsin-robin-vos-protective-gear/index.html
Vos wears protective gear while telling Wisconsin voters it is safe to vote in person.
Bone Spurs Vietnam War, again… only “This war will be won. But the most enduring consequence of Vietnam — a loss of national prestige — has been repeated. While other nations display competence, the United States, with the highest caseload in the world, asks for help from other countries. We receive relief supplies from Russia. The superpower that once led the world, the richest nation on Earth with the most vaunted medical expertise, has been brought to its knees by poor leadership.
For this, Trump has earned his bone spurs.” Washington Post 4/7/2020
GNOem fits the bill of the incompetence many of us witnessed firsthand in the Vietnam war. The 5 o’clock follies, during that time, is once again on the tee vee, showing lie after blatant lie. Light at the end of the tunnel, not even close.
From Mike’s excellent link: Vos, Wisconsin GOP Speaker of the House, said, “wearing the personal protective equipment, or PPE, was mandatory.” For him as an inspector.
GOP runs the show in Wisconsin. Since it’s perfectly safe to vote or be a poll worker, they could rule the full, head to toe PPE outfit that Vos is covered in, unmandatory.
Wisconsin lives don’t matter to their GOP. American lives don’t matter to the national GOP, as long as it’s not them or their rich owners.
Last updated: April 08, 2020, 17:33 GMT
United States
Coronavirus Cases:
418,003
Deaths:
14,214
Last updated: April 08, 2020, 23:40 GMT
United States
Coronavirus Cases:
427,101
Deaths:
14,668
Last updated: April 09, 2020, 18:42 GMT
United States
Coronavirus Cases:
455,454
Deaths:
16,114
Looks like body count decided to ignore the 15k deaths and move on to the 16k category.