Saturday, April 11, 2020

WATCH: Dr. Fauci: "I would hope that by November, we would have things under such control that we could have a real degree of normality."


“No matter how long I live, I don’t think I will ever get over how the U.S., with all its wealth and technological capability and academic prowess, sleepwalked into the disaster that is unfolding,” says Kai Kupferschmidt, a German science writer.


White House rejects bailout for U.S. Postal Service battered by coronavirus


NYT: “He Could Have Seen What Was Coming: Behind Trump’s Failure on the Virus“


We are months into this crisis and our heroes on the front lines still don't have the protective equipment they need to stay safe. It's unconscionable. Donald Trump needs to fully use the power of the Defense Production Act immediately. — Joe Biden


Inside the Fight to Topple Lindsey Graham—and Trump’s Senate Majority


More people have now died from the coronavirus in the US than anywhere else in the world. When will it start curving down?


@realDonaldTrump's pattern of firing Inspectors General for his own political gain is inexcusable and anti-democratic. We should expect better from our leaders, which is why I joined other Committee Chairs in seeking input from the IG Council about how to protect our democracy.


“No quid pro quo...”




Cuomo scoffs at the notion that the United States can open its economy without the engine of the New York economy. "You're kidding yourself," the governor says.


I wrote about Trump’s spiritual emptiness and how it drains and corrodes us, in


Well, that's awkwardly off-message. cc: @realDonaldTrump


"We end up thinking about only Trump, instead of our families, our fellow citizens, our health-care workers, or the future of our country. We are all forced to take sides every day, and those two sides are always “Trump” and “everyone else."


Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy vowed today to refuse Democratic demands in the GOP’s push for more aid to small businesses


Almost a quarter of Americans say they've had difficulty paying rent or their mortgage, according to a new survey.


#Indonesia: The #Krakatoa volcano erupted, spewing out plumes of ash that rose several kilometers in the sky as people heard the rumbles up to 150 km in Jakarta.


.@MichaelKent is a magician and comic extraordinaire, regularly performing nationwide. Thanks Michael for this extra special #MagicMonday. (It's really good!)


"One characteristic of the current crisis has been a marked lack of U.S. leadership. The United States has not rallied the world in a collective effort to confront either the virus or its economic effects."


Coronavirus lockdowns across the globe should not be completely lifted until a vaccine for the disease is found, according to a study based on China's outbreak published in medical journal The Lancet.


Trump Labor Secretary Condemned for 'Despicable' Efforts to Roll Back Unemployment Benefits, Paid Leave in Coronavirus Stimulus | Common Dreams News


Last fiscal year, the Trump family took more trips that required Secret Service protection than the Obama family took in seven, according to a budget document released by the Treasury Department and obtained by CREW.


Gilead’s experimental drug for patients with severe Covid-19 infections showed promise in an early analysis


Trump's chaotic response to COVID-19 reveals major national security weakness


Cat owners who are self-isolating or have Covid-19 symptoms should consider keeping their pets indoors to stop them carrying the virus on their fur, a veterinary body has advised.


A federal program promised small businesses up to $2 million in loans. Now it's maxing out at $15,000.


Widespread testing is critical to contain the virus; Trump delayed testing Jan thru Mar; On Mar 8 he falsely claimed “anyone who wants a test can get a test;” Today, the feds ended funding for testing sites; He wants to suppress the number of cases to help his re-election.


CREW got data on the number of trips on which the Secret Service has been deployed to protect Trump's family. It's a lot.


If you had to fantasy draft a pandemic fighting team, the top two picks -- worldwide -- would be Tony Fauci and @DrTomFrieden (trust me on this). What Tom said today about the state of the COVID response is eye-opening:


BREAKING: #remdesivir shows encouraging preliminary results for #COVID19:


Navajo Nation members living on the reservation in Arizona have tested positive for COVID-19 by a rate 7 times higher than that of the rest of the state's population


Russia reports 1,667 new coronavirus cases in last day


This is why they are slowing the tests. They aren't calling it a "coronavirus death" if the decedent never actually tested positive. He's stalling tests that could save lives to, instead, save his "numbers."


A Ukrainian associate of Rudy Giuliani has hired a business partner of Erik Prince to lobby Washington on his behalf regarding “corruption." The move became public on the same day that Joe Biden became the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee.


Unless and until the Court of Appeals for DC Circuit fixes its atrocious ruling in the McGahn case, the White House and Exec Branch can just toss Congressional subpoenas in the trash - on impeachment, Coronavirus or anything else - and the courts won’t do a damn thing about it.


"Bellina and her fellow guardsmen have been carrying body after body out of New York City homes and apartment buildings, in some cases winding 200 pounds down narrow staircases. For more than two weeks, they have been pulling 12-hour shifts, 8AM to 8PM."


Ron Johnson sends doctors' note to Trump urging action on hydroxychloroquine But there's still little evidence the drug works to combat the coronavirus.


Trump was first briefed in November. Trump was warned by Azar and Navarro in January. Trump was off golfing and giving hate rallies in February. Trump called it a Democrat hoax in February. Talk about that Matt. Talk about the mass graves being dug in public parks.


The investigation comes after Wisconsin Sens. Ron Johnson, a Republican, and Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat, called on the USPS to look into claims absentee ballots that were requested ahead of the election but were never delivered or arrived late.


"You don't want public health to stand in the way of somebody's ability to cast a ballot," New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu says about his decision to allow vote-by-mail in his state. Last fall, Sununu vetoed a vote-by-mail bill. "It's just absentee voting for this year."


Breaking: I filed a complaint w the FEC against Cory Gardner & Mitch McConnell. Citizens United is a corrupting scourge on our politics: it allows corporate money and billionaires to conspire to buy our elections. But even w SuperPACs, there are lines. 1/x


The American people are strong, tough, brave, and big-hearted. There's nothing we can't do if we do it together. — Joe Biden


"Sir, that's an ingenious way to avoid getting the Coronavirus." "Coronavirus?"


2,500 Americans died storming the beaches on D-Day. 2,000 Americans died today of COVID-19. But the ratings are good


Darran Simon, Washington Post journalist, dies at 43


Ventilators as patronage for vulnerable Republican senators


“In the January 29 memo, Navarro wrote that the ‘increasing probability of a full-blown COVID-19 pandemic’ could infect as many as 100 million Americans and kill ‘as many as 1-2 million souls.’ That same day ...Navarro made no mention of the possibility”


Our postal service is on the verge of collapse. I’m calling on Congress to act swiftly to shore up USPS so that everyone can continue to receive essential medicines and supplies, and as many Americans as possible can vote from home.


David Lat: "As a patient whose life was saved by a ventilator, I believe it is an outrage and an embarrassment that a nation as wealthy as ours is even discussing possible ventilator shortages."


It’s the Strategic NATIONAL Stockpile, not the Strategic Trump Stockpile. It’s not his bounty to dispense, and it’s un-American for a US senator to abase herself like this before a public employee so incompetently doing so little of his public duty


A reminder that last week, Representative @DevinNunes stated on @FoxNews that people should go back to work this week.


Mike Huckabee Just Sued the County Because It Closed His Beach


L.A. County officials: "If the #StayHome order was quickly rescinded and people resumed to their normal habits, an astonishing *95.6% of L.A. County residents* would be infected with the #coronavirus by Aug. 1." Yet @realDonaldTrump wants to reopen


“I strongly believe that they are spreading fake news on behalf of hostile foreign powers and authoritarian governments as part of their business model,” Binkowski said.


Fact check: A new ad from President Trump's re-election campaign that attempts to portray former Vice President Joe Biden as being overly friendly to China is rife with deceptive images and audio cli


Millions of people have just lost their jobs and are relying on credit cards to feed themselves and their families. No one should profit off of this pain in the middle of a pandemic. That’s why I’m calling for a suspension of credit card interest, fees, and penalties.


Smell the flop sweat


Fauci says Trump administration may have Americans carry documents to prove they are immune or not infected with the coronavirus


He still doesn’t know the difference between a bacteria and a virus and 18,000 Americans are dead


One of the most vulnerable populations to #Covid_19 infections are residents in nursing homes. It is a dereliction of duty for the @realDonaldTrump Administration to not track #coronavirus infections in nursing homes or the cause of death. @CDCgov must focus on nursing homes NOW.


Some states simply *refused* to tell us how many nursing homes have infections or how many residents have died. Others said they simply didn't have the capacity to do this. This is why many experts think the federal officials should be keeping track. But they aren't.


Only 16 states gave us the actual names of nursing homes with known COVID outbreaks — most states and local governments have refused to do so. We compiled all of the names here


On the Navajo Nation reservation, COVID has killed more people than in the entire state of New Mexico, which has a population 13 times larger. Let that sink in.


No one should be forced out of their home in the middle of a global pandemic. We need to freeze rent for people who lose their jobs and place a ban on evictions immediately.


In the end, the most influential politician of 2020 might be the one who has been the most silent


Trump: "You know what? Staying at home leads to death also. And it's very traumatic for this country. But staying at home, if you look at numbers, that leads to a different kind of death, perhaps, but it leads to death also."


Question: What metrics will you use to make that decision? Trump while pointing to his head: The metrics right here. That’s my metrics.


Our country is in the middle of a public health crisis and an impending economic recession. Congress must end its recess and get back to work on the next coronavirus relief package—now. People’s lives and our democracy depend on it.


We all know that allowing. Church gatherings is about the collections plate, right? Okay.


Some examples of the people Trump surrounded himself with recently (and their current life status): Michael Cohen (in prison), Paul Manafort (in prison), Michael Flynn (felon, going to prison), Roger Stone (felon, going to prison), George Papadopoulos (felon, went to prison)


As the US outbreak approaches 20,000 deaths, Trump appears to believe that the coronavirus is a bacterial pathogen. The coronavirus is — it may surprise you to find out — a virus


What’s it gonna take to stop living inside Trump’s totalitarian fantasyland? Economic revival is not a “decision” he can make.


Dire news from Detroit:


BREAKING: billionaire Tom Steyer just endorsed Biden and said he plans to use his resources to get Biden elected


“Republicans worry Trump has only weeks to sharpen coronavirus response” Oh, ya think???


Over 16 million Americans have applied for unemployment benefits in the last three weeks. We need to reopen the health care exchanges immediately.


The large number of #COVIDー19 infections on the USS Theodore Roosevelt show Capt Brett Crozier was absolutely right to raise the alarm. Former Acting Navy Secretary Modly was wrong to relieve Capt Crozier of command. Secretary @EsperDoD should reinstate Capt Croz


Trump just said he has seen gas prices at $.89-$.99 per gallon. Where I am it is currently $1.70. Anyone see prices Trump is talking about?


A consignment of face masks and personal protection equipment (PPE) that arrived in Finland from China on Tuesday are not up to standard, according to the director of Finland’s National Emergency Supply Agency, Tomi Lounema.


“The worst thing we could do is run the 90-yard dash on this virus,” says California Governor Gavin Newsom on when the economy ought to be brought back online. “...The worst thing we can do, again... is to get ahead of ourselves. To trip over ourselves.”


The top Navy admiral overseeing the virus-stricken aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt says that he found some sailors "struggling" and "upset" after their commanding officer, Capt. Crozier, was relieved of duty by the ousted acting navy secretary


It is purely my personal opinion, as always, but it is impossible to listen to this briefing in particular, today, more than most, and not come to the conclusion that the president is either medicated or abusing some sort of medication.


While Peter Navarro was publicly telling Americans they had "nothing to worry about," he was privately warning the White House that the coronavirus pandemic could cost trillions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of American lives.


Yesterday, the United States reported 31,705 new cases of covid19. One of them was my dad.


“China has been buying up ads on U.S. social-media sites and adopting online tactics reminiscent of Russian disinformation campaigns in an apparent attempt to shape the story internationally about the coronavirus response”


Ex-GOP Group "The Lincoln Project" Endorses Biden, Launches Brutal Ad Hitting Trump For Golfing During Pandemic


FARA: Russia govt-owned weapons manufacturer United Aircraft hired a foreign agent for lobbying against sanctions & influence ops within days of a Trump-Putin call, a Kremlin plane bringing the U.S. coronavirus medical gear & NORAD intercepting Russian military planes off Alaska


Just to be clear, the carbon in the atmosphere is at a 15 million year high. So, no.


Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered U.S. and Michigan flags lowered to half-staff throughout the state indefinitely beginning today to honor and mourn those who have lost their lives due to the virus.


"Sooner or later, every president must face a supreme test, a test that cannot be evaded by blather and bluff and bullying. That test has overwhelmed Trump,"


Merz, who saw the videos of Capt. Brett Crozier's rousing send-off, said his immediate reaction was "our job just got harder for us."


Here’s the RNC sending mailers to voters in Pennsylvania urging them to request a mail-in ballot, in part “to protect yourself from large crowds on Election Day”


An important backstory to the hydroxychloroquine enthusiasm is the weird paranoid fears of virus vaccine research. Apparently, Bill Gates is researching vaccines in order to insert controlling microchips into our bodies. - more to come -


Trump claims "virtually every country in the world" is calling the US asking "how do we get" the tests used in the United States, which are the best. I am pretty sure that is not true.


Mitch McConnell’s opposition to any and all proposals that would expand access to voting for Americans isn’t new. It goes back decades. Here’s a thread on his long history of voting against voting


Actually, make that more then 18,000


Ventilators as patronage for vulnerable Republican senators


In Washington state, we know that voting by mail is the best way to ensure everyone has a safe, secure way to vote. It should be the right of every American across this country


Lack of national COVID-19 testing leaves nursing home front line in shadow


Physical distancing is the only tool we have to stop COVID-19


Overwhelmed hospitals mean overwhelming conditions for medical workers


Trump admin ignoring dire COVID-19 situation in US nursing homes