Angry Staffer

‘This is no longer a debate’: Florida sheriff bans deputies, visitors from wearing masks

“On Tuesday, as Florida set a daily record for covid-19 deaths, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods prohibited his deputies from wearing masks at work. His order, which also applies to visitors to the sheriff’s office, carves out an exception for officers in some locations, including hospitals, and when dealing with people who are high-risk or suspected of having the novel coronavirus.

In an email to the sheriff’s department obtained by the Ocala Star-Banner, Woods disputed the idea that masks are a consensus approach to battling the pandemic.

“We can debate and argue all day of why and why not. The fact is, the amount of professionals that give the reason why we should, I can find the exact same amount of professionals that say why we shouldn’t,” Woods wrote in the email.” via The Washington Post

Angry’s Thoughts: Why is it always Florida? This is absolute insanity. “I can find the exact same amount of professionals that say we shouldn’t” – yeah, maybe on Breitbart, OANN, and QAnon message boards.

Georgia School District Quarantines Over 900 Students and Teachers

“The first letter went out on Aug. 4, one day after students in the Cherokee County School District returned to their classrooms for the first time since the eruption of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Dear Parents,” wrote Dr. Ashley Kennerly, the principal of Sixes Elementary School. “I am writing this letter in order to communicate that a student in 2nd grade has tested positive for Covid-19.”

By the time the last bell rang on Friday afternoon, principals at 10 other schools had sent similar letters to families in Cherokee County, a bucolic and politically conservative stretch of suburbs north of Atlanta. This week, more letters went out.

Altogether, more than 900 students and staff members in the district have already been ordered to quarantine. On Tuesday, one high school closed its doors until at least Aug. 31.

While many of the nation’s largest school systems have opted in recent weeks to start the academic year online, other districts have forged ahead with reopening. In Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Indiana and elsewhere, some schools, mainly in suburban and rural areas, have been open for almost two weeks.” via The New York Times

Angry’s Thoughts: Who could have seen this…. oh, never mind.

Nearly 1 million Americans plan to fly to Florida over Labor Day weekend. An epidemiologist warns they could undo efforts to contain COVID-19 just before schools reopen.

“Roughly 6 million Americans plan to fly during the upcoming Labor Day weekend, many of them to Florida and other “hotspot” areas struggling to contain the COVID-19 pandemic — despite CDC guidance saying the best way to protect oneself and others is to stay home. 

Data collected by travel itinerary app TripIt show that while total flight bookings over the holiday weekend are down 66% compared to 2019, an unusually high proportion of those who have decided to fly over the holiday are headed to Florida, Arizona, Nevada, Mexico, and the Caribbean, all of which are struggling to rein in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those beach retreats and weekends in the sun, however tempting after months of monotony, lockdowns, and quarantines, threaten to roll back progress at a critical moment in America’s fight against the pandemic.” via Business Insider

Angry’s Thoughts: On my “places you couldn’t pay me to be right now” list, a commercial airplane and Disney World are pretty close to the top.

Ex-Fed Chair Yellen advises Biden on virus economic fallout

Former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen was among a team of advisers who briefed Joe Biden on Thursday about the economic fallout from the coronavirus.

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and his newly chosen running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris, participated in the briefing from separate, socially distanced tables at a hotel in Wilmington, Delaware. In a brief appearance with reporters, Biden didn’t offer details on the briefing.” via AP

Angry’s Thoughts: I really like this move. Yelen is brilliant. She was probably the most qualified Fed Chair in history, so naturally Trump replaced her because she was “too short.”

Either way, this is nothing but good news for the Biden camp – and for voters who are counting on Biden to listen to expert advice.

Record U.S. coronavirus fatalities and ‘startling surge’ of cases in children and teens

The U.S. logged the highest number of COVID-19 deaths in two weeks, a new NBC News tally showed Thursday, but widespread testing shortages raised concerns that the figures coming out of the hardest-hit states might not be presenting a true picture of this deadly pandemic.

The 1,424 fatalities reported Wednesday were the highest since July 28, when 2,218 deaths were reported, the figures showed. And it was the twelfth time in the last 16 days that the death toll exceeded 1,000.

Most of these deaths were in the Southern and Sun Belt states like Florida, Texas and Arizona that began reopening in May and June at the urging of President Donald Trump despite warnings from public health experts that the coronavirus was starting to crest.

“The deaths we see today are a result of infections from four to eight weeks ago,” Admiral Brett Giroir, the assistant secretary of health and the Trump administration’s testing coordinator, said Thursday on a call with reporters.

“Mortality is a lagging indicator,” Giroir added. “I don’t mean to minimize people who died, but mortality is a lagging indicator and it’s going to be a week or two before we see that go down in a meaningful way.” via NBC News

Angry’s Thoughts: Sure, deaths are a lagging indicator, but it’s asinine that we’re still seeing 1,000+ death days this far into our pandemic when other countries are already getting back to some semblance of normal.

The other obvious problem we’re facing right now is that testing numbers are decreasing in some major hotspots (looking at you Florida, and you, Texas), but the positivity rate is still climbing. That means that community spread is much higher than what is actually being reported, and it means that we’re nowhere near the end of this pandemic, because we’ll never be able to beat it without adequate testing and contact tracing.

Judge orders Trump campaign to produce evidence of voter fraud in Pennsylvania

“A federal judge in Pennsylvania told the Trump campaign and the Republican Party that they must produce evidence they have of vote-by-mail fraud in the state by Friday.

The judge’s order, in a high-profile case about vote-by-mail in the battleground state, essentially forces the Trump campaign to try to back up President Donald Trump’s false claims about massive voter fraud in postal voting.

“The Court finds that instances of voter fraud are relevant to the claims and defenses in this case,” District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan wrote on Thursday, telling Republicans that they need to provide evidence of fraud to the Democratic Party and the Sierra Club, which are part of the lawsuit.

The Democrats had asked for information and documents that would show steps the Republicans took to study the possibility of fraud, especially related to the use of dropboxes, ballot collection and mailed-in ballots in the primary elections.

The Trump campaign and Republicans had refused to do so. But with Thursday’s court order, they must answer questions from the Democratic groups and turn over records of communications — or say they have none. The Trump campaign has until Friday to respond, the judge said.” via CNN

Angry’s Thoughts: They haven’t provided evidence yet because there is none. This is Hillary’s emails meets Hunter Biden meets Caravans from Mexico coming to invade America meets PizzaGate – there’s no basis in reality whatsoever. To be abundantly clear, this is just another blatant voter suppression tactic that is one of the GOP’s last-ditch efforts to stay in power.

Senate leaves until September without coronavirus relief deal

“The Senate left Washington, D.C., on Thursday until September – the latest sign that a deal on a fifth coronavirus relief package is, at least, weeks away.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had kept the chamber in session this week, which was technically the first in its August recess, as a last-ditch attempt to create space for the administration and congressional Democrats to get an agreement.

But with talks stalemated, senators argue there is little reason for them to keep holding daily, roughly 1 1/2-hour sessions. The House already left town and isn’t expected to return until Sept. 14.

“We will have our regular pro forma meetings through the end of the state work period. If the Speaker of the House and the minority leader of the Senate decide to finally let another package move forward … it would take bipartisan consent to meet for legislative business sooner than scheduled,” McConnell said as he wrapped up the Senate until next month.” via The Hill

Angry’s Thoughts: Show of hands: anyone surprised Congress went on vacation without getting anything done?

No hands? Weird. Me neither.

I really hope the people of Kentucky don’t forget that Mitch has now gone on vacation at least 3 times instead of voting on vital aid bills that the House passed.

Biden, Seizing on Masks as a Campaign Issue, Calls for a Mandate

WILMINGTON, Del. — Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his newly selected running mate, Senator Kamala Harris of California, called on Thursday for Americans to be required to wear masks, offering one of the first glimpses at how the Democratic ticket plans to confront the coronavirus and draw a contrast with President Trump.

Mr. Biden, addressing reporters after receiving a briefing from public health experts, said every American should wear a mask while outside for at least the next three months and that all governors should mandate mask wearing.

“It’s not about your rights,” Mr. Biden said, standing in front of five American flags at the Hotel du Pont in Wilmington. “It’s about your responsibilities as an American.” via The New York Times

Angry’s Thoughts: Good move by Biden and Harris; they need to be constantly hammering Trump’s COVID-19 response – or rather, lack thereof – while offering reasonable solutions and drawing a direct contrast between themselves and the Trump administration.

CDC director says U.S. could have “worst fall” ever

“This fall could be the worst in the history of American public health if people do not heed guidance from health officials to stop the coronavirus, CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield warned Wednesday. Redfield said skyrocketing cases of COVID-19 combined with the annual flu season could create the “worst fall” that “we’ve ever had.”

“I’m asking you to do four simple things: wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands, and be smart about crowds. If you do those four things it will bring this outbreak down,” Redfield said in an interview with WebMD. “But, if we don’t do that… this could be the worst fall from a public health perspective we’ve ever had.”

“I keep telling people, I’m not asking some of America to do it — we all got to do it. This is one of those interventions that’s got to be 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 percent if it’s going to work,” he said.

Redfield stressed that more widespread use of face masks could make a big difference. “The mask really does work. It’s really important,” he said.” via CBS News

Angry’s Thoughts: Meanwhile, when Trump isn’t trying to destroy the post office to prevent people from voting by mail in the middle of what Redfield says will be the worst fall in American history, he’s got his head buried in the sand pretending like COVID-19 is just going to disappear.

Trump gives credence to false, racist Harris conspiracy

“President Donald Trump on Thursday gave credence to a false and racist conspiracy about Kamala Harris’ eligibility to be vice president, fueling an online misinformation campaign that parallels the one he used to power his rise into politics.

Asked about the matter at the White House, Trump told reporters he had “heard” rumors that Harris, a Black woman and U.S.-born citizen whose parents were immigrants, does not meet the requirement to serve in the White House. The president said he considered the rumors “very serious.”

The conspiracy is false. Harris, who was tapped this week by Joe Biden to serve as his running mate on the Democratic ticket, was born in Oakland, California, and is eligible for both the vice presidency and presidency under the constitutional requirements. The question is not even considered complex, according to constitution lawyers.” via AP

Angry’s Thoughts: Is anyone surprised that the most racist President in modern history and the leader of the birther movement latched on to another unfounded conspiracy theory?

It’s pretty clear at this point that Kamala Harris is running her VP campaign rent-free in Donald Trump’s head. Thankfully, social distancing in that desolate, demented wasteland shouldn’t be much of a problem.

7-year-old boy is now the youngest COVID-19 victim in Georgia

“A 7-year-old boy has become the youngest person known to die of COVID-19 in Georgia.  

The child, who was a resident of Chatham County, had no known underlying health conditions, the state’s health department confirmed to CBS News on Friday.

“Every COVID-19 death we report is tragic, but to lose someone so young is especially heart-breaking,” Nancy Nydam, Director of Communications for the Georgia Department of Public Health, told CBS News. “We know that older individuals and those with underlying conditions are at higher risk of complications, but this is a disease everyone, regardless of age, should take seriously.”

“Please watch out for each other, stay six feet apart, wear a mask in public, wash your hands often, and stay home if you’re sick,” Nydam added. “A community-wide crisis demands a community-wide response, and we all must do our part to keep each other safe.”

Georgia has faced major coronavirus spikes as Governor Brian Kemp clashes with local officials on safety guidelines. According to Johns Hopkins University, the state has 204,895 confirmed cases and 4,026 COVID-related deaths.” via CBS News

Angry’s Thoughts: OPEN THE SCHOOLS, amirite?

This certainly isn’t the norm, but it’s important to remember that even healthy children aren’t “immune” to coronavirus, as Trump would have you believe. In literally every credible epidemiological model, closing schools was the single biggest factor in slowing the spread. GOP governors are killing their constituents to placate Trump.

40 million Americans are at risk of eviction without a stimulus bill

“Up to 40 million Americans could be evicted by the end of this year, according to a new report published Friday by the Aspen Institute.

The report warns that the United States may be facing the most severe housing crisis in history if conditions do not change, with up to 43% of renter households facing eviction this year.

“As the data demonstrates, the gravity of this situation cannot be overstressed,” said Emily Benfer, law professor at Wake Forest University School of Law and a co-author of the report. “Unless the federal government invests in eviction prevention, we are not only risking widespread eviction and homelessness, we are guaranteeing negative health outcomes, greater unemployment, educational decline, and long-term harm for renters, property owners and communities.”

People of color — particularly Black and Latino Americans — make up about 80% of those facing eviction. Last month, 26% of Black renters and 25% of Latino renters were unable to pay rent compared with 13% of white renters, according to US Census data analyzed by the Aspen Institute.” via CNN

Angry’s Thoughts: Meanwhile, the GOP is slow-walking the stimulus bill so Trump can take executive action and look strong. Pathetic. Remember this, and do everything you can to condemn them to the minority for the next decade.

House can sue to force former White House counsel Donald McGahn to comply with subpoena

“House Democrats can sue to force President Trump’s former White House counsel Donald McGahn to comply with a congressional subpoena, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.

In a 7-2 decision, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said the House has a long-standing right to force government officials to testify and produce documents.

The “effective functioning of the Legislative Branch critically depends on the legislative prerogative to obtain information, and constitutional structure and historical practice support judicial enforcement of congressional subpoenas when necessary,” Judge Judith Rogers wrote for the majority.

The decision is a legal victory for House Democrats, but the ruling does not mean that McGahn will immediately appear on Capitol Hill. The decision sends the case back to the initial three-judge panel, which had ruled against the House, to consider McGahn’s other challenges to the subpoena, making it unlikely that the case will be resolved before Congress adjourns in January and the subpoena expires.” via The Washington Post

Angry’s Thoughts: Trump had a really bad legal day today. Between this, and a Judge ruling that E. Jean Carroll has the standing to seek his DNA in her suit, he’s probably going to need two rounds of elephant tranquilizers tonight.

Pelosi says Democrats willing to compromise at $2T for coronavirus bill, rejected by Trump admin

“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday that Democrats were willing to compromise at $2 trillion for the fourth coronavirus stimulus package, but that the Trump administration rejected their offer.

Pelosi, D-Calif., said Friday that Democrats have been “mightily trying to find common ground.

“We’ll take down a trillion, if you add a trillion,” Pelosi said Friday. “They said absolutely not. Then we would be in range.”

Senate Republicans are pushing a package with a price tag of approximately $1 trillion, while Democrats’ HEROES Act, which passed in May, reaches about $3.4 trillion. Republicans and Democrats have reached a stalemate in negotiations, prompting President Trump to float the possibility of taking executive action to provide some economic relief to Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin acknowledged on Friday that the idea of the White House and Republicans adding $1 trillion to their price tag for the fourth package was a “a non-starter.” via Fox News

Angry’s Thoughts: They. Won’t. Compromise. Because. They. Want. Him. To. Look. Tough. Taking. Executive. Action.

Democratic senators voice ‘growing concerns’ over electoral interference

Democratic senators say they are increasingly concerned about the targeting of Congress by foreign actors in an effort to “launder and amplify disinformation” ahead of the November U.S. presidential election.

In a letter sent on Friday to FBI Director Christopher Wray, senators Richard Durbin, Robert Menendez, and Jack Reed said recent classified briefings they had received from the intelligence community had done little to allay their worries.

“Our concerns with respect to this targeting have only grown,” the letter says.

In an apparent reference to their Republican colleagues, the senators said “members must understand the risks inherent in accepting information generated by foreign sources, especially those committees currently conducting investigations.

Few details were provided in the missive. But pro-Russian Ukrainian sources recently have said they provided material to aid an investigation, led by Republican Senator Ron Johnson, centered around Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s son Hunter, who served on the board of Ukrainian gas company Burisma.” via Reuters

Angry’s Thoughts: More on that below.

Russia Working to Damage Biden’s White House Bid, Spy Agencies Say

“The U.S. intelligence community has assessed that Russia has undertaken a broad effort to damage Democratic Joe Biden’s bid for the presidency, while China prefers that President Trump not win reelection, a senior intelligence official said Friday.

Iran also is seeking to undermine U.S. democratic institutions and President Trump, and to divide the country ahead of the November contest, Bill Evanina, who runs the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, wrote in a brief public report.

The disclosure is the most detailed yet from U.S. intelligence agencies about foreign efforts to interfere in the 2020 election, after months of escalating but generally vague warnings about such activity. It represents the “most current, accurate, and objective election threat information” on behalf of the U.S. intelligence community that can be offered “in an unclassified setting at this time,” Mr. Evanina wrote.

The report described Russia as the most active among the three in its attempts to influence public debate and perception about the campaign by harming Mr. Biden, saying Moscow views him as antagonistic to the Russian establishment.

“This is consistent with Moscow’s public criticism of him when he was vice president for his role in the Obama administration’s policies on Ukraine and its support for the anti-Putin opposition inside Russia,” Mr. Evanina wrote, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Some Kremlin-linked actors are also seeking to boost President Trump’s candidacy on social media and Russian television.”

Mr. Evanina’s statement mentioned by name Andriy Derkach, a Ukrainian lawmaker linked to Russian intelligence, saying he was trying to undermine Mr. Biden by publicizing leaked 2015 phone calls between him Petro Poroshenko, then the president of Ukraine.” via WSJ

Angry’s Thoughts: Thankfully, enough Democratic Senators yelled about this that they released the information publicly.

“The report described Russia as the most active among the three in its attempts to influence public debate and perception”

But of course. Putin has already gotten probably the best return on investment in history; nobody can *really* blame him for trying to milk it for all it’s worth. It’s our job to make sure he’s not successful.

Jerry Falwell Jr. Taking Leave of Absence From Liberty University

“Jerry Falwell Jr., one of President Trump’s most prominent and controversial evangelical supporters, will take an indefinite leave of absence from his role as president and chancellor of Liberty University, the board of trustees announced on Friday.

The news comes days after Mr. Falwell posted, and then deleted, a photograph on Instagram of him posing alongside a woman with his pants unzipped and his arm around her.” via The New York Times

Angry’s Thoughts: Somehow, I completely missed this photo, but this news made my day.

New postmaster general overhauls USPS leadership amid probe into mail delays

“Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced an overhaul of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Friday, removing the top two officials in charge of day-to-day operations as Democrats in Washington call for an investigation into changes that have slowed mail delivery.

According to a new organizational chart released by USPS, 23 postal executives were reassigned or displaced and five staffers joined the agency’s leadership from other positions.

“This organizational change will capture operating efficiencies by providing clarity and economies of scale that will allow us to reduce our cost base and capture new revenue,” said DeJoy. “It is crucial that we do what is within our control to help us successfully complete our mission to serve the American people and, through the universal service obligation, bind our nation together by maintaining and operating our unique, vital and resilient infrastructure.” via The Hill

Angry’s Thoughts: This doesn’t sit well with me.

At a meeting of the Postal Service Board of Governors, Dejoy also said, “Let me be clear that, with regard to election mail, the Postal Service and I are fully committed to fulfilling our role in the electoral process. We will do everything that we can to deliver election mail in a timely manner consistent with our operational standards, and despite any assertions to the contrary, we are not slowing down election mail or any other mail.”

I’m hoping that after Schumer and Pelosi got ahold of him earlier in the week, the above quote is true, but I also have zero faith in Trump appointees to do what is right, ever.

Trump ambassador pick warned Germany against benefits for ‘unwanted Muslim invaders’

“President Trump’s nominee to become ambassador to Germany has a history of controversial statements on race, geopolitics and use of force against civilians, according to an analysis by CNN’s KFile.

According to the report, retired Army Col. Douglas Macgregor has made multiple public statements warning against the supposed Islamization of Europe, calling for deadly force against Latin Americans on the U.S.-Mexico border and defending Russia’s illegal military involvement in Ukraine.

Trump last month nominated Macgregor, a highly decorated combat veteran with a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, to replace Ambassador Richard Grenell, who quit the post in June.

The nomination comes at a fraught time for U.S.-German relations, as Trump has vowed to pull U.S. troops out of the country, accentuating ongoing public disdain from the president toward German Chancellor Angela Merkel.” via The Hill

Angry’s Thoughts: This has largely slipped through the cracks with everything else that’s going on, but it definitely warrants attention. At a time when we need competent representation in Germany more than ever, Trump, in typical Trump fashion, nominates the exact opposite.

This is what happens when all of the adults leave the room – you’re left with nothing but the gunk from the very bottom of the basket of deplorables, and the country is worse off for it.

New York leaders are hopeful coronavirus crisis is peaking, flattening

“The coronavirus body count in New York state held steady Monday for the second consecutive day at about 600 deaths — a once-unthinkable statistic that now gives officials some cautious reason to hope that the pandemic may be cresting there.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) said that regardless of whether his state was seeing the worst of the covid-19 crisis, it was vital for people to stay home to keep downward pressure on the disease’s spread and announced he was doubling the fine for anyone found breaking the rules.

“While none of this is good news, the possible flattening of the curve is better than the increases we have seen,” Cuomo said during a news conference. Two days of data is not nearly enough to identify a trend, but officials said there were other glimmers of hope, including significant declines in the past two days in the number of new people hospitalized, admitted to intensive care units and intubated.” via The Washington Post

Angry’s Thoughts: I hope like hell this is true. New York has been absolutely decimated over the last couple weeks. If they can lower the curve this quickly, nobody should argue the effectiveness of social distancing ever again.

Coronavirus: Boris Johnson moved to intensive care as symptoms ‘worsen’

“Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been moved to intensive care in hospital after his coronavirus symptoms “worsened”, Downing Street has said.

A spokesman said he was moved on the advice of his medical team and is receiving “excellent care”.

Mr Johnson has asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to deputise “where necessary”, the spokesman added.

The prime minister, 55, was admitted to hospital in London with “persistent symptoms” on Sunday evening.

The Queen has been kept informed about Mr Johnson’s health by No 10, according to Buckingham Palace.

BBC political correspondent Chris Mason said the prime minister was given oxygen late on Monday afternoon, before being taken to intensive care.

However, he has not been put on a ventilator.

A No 10 statement read: “The prime minister has been under the care of doctors at St Thomas’ Hospital, in London, after being admitted with persistent symptoms of coronavirus.

“Over the course of [Monday] afternoon, the condition of the prime minister has worsened and, on the advice of his medical team, he has been moved to the intensive care unit at the hospital.” via BBC

Angry’s Thoughts: I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find out that Johnson is on a ventilator soon – almost all of the clinical observations I’ve seen on social media and elsewhere have noted that if a patient requires oxygen, the chances of them requiring a ventilator within a 72 hour period is almost 100%.

Caveat: most of these were early observations, so I don’t know if that’s still the case, but in my non-expert opinion, him being moved to ICU doesn’t bode well for keeping him off of a vent.

White House reaches deal with 3M over mask production

“President Donald Trump on Monday said that 3M would produce 166.5 million masks over the next three months, cementing a commitment from a company the administration had blamed for exacerbating a shortage for health workers responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We have reached an agreement, a very amicable agreement, with 3M,” Trump announced. “The 3M saga ends very happily.”

“This will go a long way toward solving the mask issue if not solve it completely,” said one official involved in the negotiations. The new 3M masks are overwhelmingly N95 and KN95 masks and will go toward frontline workers, the official said.

The White House and 3M had sparred in recent days over accusations the mask-maker was prioritizing sales to other countries. Trump invoked the Defense Production Act on Thursday in an effort to ramp 3M’s production.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: This is three months t0o late. The new virus peak is projected to be over the next two weeks. If he had acted when he should have, our front-line wouldn’t be at war with no equipment.

France records highest virus daily death toll

“France has reported 833 new coronavirus deaths in the past day, the highest daily toll since its outbreak began.

The total number of people who have died after testing positive for Covid-19 now stands at 8,911, while the number of infections is 98,010.

“We have not reached the end of the end of the ascent of this epidemic,” warned Health Minister Olivier Véran.

Italy’s daily death toll also rose on Monday after several days of slowing, but Spain’s fell for a fourth day.” via BBC

Angry’s Thoughts: It’s important to remember that the deaths will always lag behind the cases. Dr. Fauci has pointed out on several occasions that there will be a period in the United States where we will be seeing relatively few new cases, but will still be seeing a high amount of death. This is due to the length of the illness: the average COVID-19 patient is sick for well over 10 days, and most who die will do so around day 20. It’s a brutal virus.

Inspector general who handled Ukraine whistleblower complaint says ‘it is hard not to think’ he was fired by Trump for doing his job

“Michael Atkinson, the inspector general removed by President Trump late Friday, said he believes he was fired for having properly handled a whistleblower complaint that became a centerpiece of the case for the president’s impeachment.

“I am disappointed and saddened that President Trump has decided to remove me as the inspector general of the intelligence community because I did not have his ‘fullest confidence,’ ” Atkinson said in a seven-paragraph statement issued Sunday. “It is hard not to think that the president’s loss of confidence in me derives from my having faithfully discharged my legal obligations as an independent and impartial inspector general.”

That Atkinson issued a statement at all is unusual — inspectors general usually stay silent when removed, but the circumstances leading to his firing are also highly unusual.

Inspectors general are traditionally removed for “cause” — usually involving misconduct. In Atkinson’s case, there was no apparent misconduct. Rather, Trump said in a letter to Congress on Friday night that it was “no longer the case” that Atkinson had his “fullest confidence.” via The Washington Post

Angry’s Thoughts: Trump made it obvious at one of his coronavirus clown shows that Atkinson was fired for no reason but the fact that he did his job, but it also shouldn’t be lost on anyone that he only did it now to distract from how terribly he’s handled the coronavirus response.

Trump approves New York request to treat coronavirus patients on Navy hospital ship

“President Donald Trump said Monday that he granted New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s request to treat novel coronavirus patients on a hospital ship docked off of Manhattan.

Cuomo had told reporters earlier Monday that he was “going to call the President this afternoon and ask him to shift the (USNS) Comfort from non-Covid to Covid.”

Trump, speaking at a White House news briefing Monday afternoon, said he “was informed that Gov. Cuomo has already told you and announced he called me up a little while ago and asked whether or not it would be possible to use the ship with respect to fighting the virus.”

“We hadn’t had that in mind at all, but we’re going to let him do it,” Trump remarked.

“It’s set for Covid,” Trump said of the Comfort. The President also confirmed that the ship has been approved to treat New Jersey patients.” via CNN

Angry’s Thoughts: I worry about this decision. It was probably inevitable that it was going to happen eventually, but I hope they’ve designated it for COVID-only if they’re going to do this – the ship doesn’t have adequate processes in place to prevent it from spreading. Needless to say, it would suck to go for basic trauma and end up with COVID-19.

Wisconsin Supreme Court overturns governor, orders Tuesday elections to proceed

“Wisconsin’s state Supreme Court blocked Gov. Tony Evers’ late executive order postponing in-person voting in Tuesday’s elections, meaning the state’s presidential primary and hundreds of local elections will proceed hours after the governor announced he was postponing them due to coronavirus.

The ruling came after the GOP-controlled state legislature challenged Evers’ order. The state Supreme Court split 4-2 along ideological lines, with Justice Daniel Kelly, who is up for reelection in Tuesday’s balloting, abstaining.

An hour later, the U.S. Supreme Court also ruled in favor of Republicans, partially blocking a lower court’s extension of the absentee ballot deadline in the state in a decision that also divided the justices ideologically.

Evers — who had previously maintained that he alone did not have the authority to postpone an election — issued his order seeking to push back the elections on Monday, saying that he was acting to reduce exposure to the virus and ease concerns among his constituents about the spread of the pandemic. Evers issued a stay-at-home order last month as part of his administration’s efforts to fight coronavirus.

At a press conference before the state Supreme Court’s order, Evers indicated this would be his last move to try to postpone the election. “This will be the last avenue that we’re taking,” Evers said at the press conference. ”There’s not a Plan B. There’s not a Plan C.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: These are two of the most disgusting rulings of recent memory. Refusing to postpone tomorrow’s election is a clear threat to public safety, and refusing to extend absentee voting is unnecessarily cruel.

It’s a blatant attempt at voter suppression, and it’s gross.

Trump baselessly disputes HHS IG report, repeats several other false claims at Monday’s coronavirus briefing

“President Donald Trump made yet another series of false and misleading claims at his Monday coronavirus briefing, during which he repeatedly criticized reporters and frequently departed from his prepared text.

Trump repeated false claims about coronavirus testing and about the Obama administration’s response to the H1N1 pandemic, baselessly dismissed a new report about hospital shortages of critical supplies, and played down early problems with a new small business lending program. He also repeated some of his old false claims about trade with China.

At Monday’s briefing, Fox News correspondent Kristin Fisher asked the President about a recently released report from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General which details challenges facing hospitals in responding to the coronavirus pandemic, including shortages of supplies and equipment, as well as prolonged wait times to get testing results.

In response, Trump said, “It’s just wrong. Did I hear the word ‘inspector general,’ really? It’s wrong.”When pushed on the fact that the report was released by his own administration, Trump suggested the findings were politically motivated, asking, “Well where did he come from, the inspector general? What’s his name?” Trump later added, “So give me the name of the inspector general. Could politics be entered into that?” via CNN

Angry’s Thoughts: Firstly, nothing in the IG report was false. Second, there is something seriously, seriously wrong with this man. This entire briefing was a dumpster fire.

Obama touts Elizabeth Warren’s coronavirus recovery proposals

Former President Barack Obama on Monday offered high praise for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, endorsing the former presidential candidate’s extensive framework for how to jump-start the economy once the coronavirus pandemic recedes.

“As she often does, @SenWarren provides a cogent summary of how federal policymakers should be thinking about the pandemic in the coming months,” Obama wrote in a tweet, linking to a Vox interview where the Massachusetts Democrat discussed her multiple plans to address the global pandemic and its economic fallout.

Warren, who became known for her ubiquitous policy plans throughout her presidential bid, was the first presidential candidate to put forth a proposal for combating the coronavirus in January, when it was still mostly relegated to China. Last month, she released two more plans before ending her campaign, but she has remained vocal about the U.S. response to the outbreak.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: I can’t wait to see what position Warren gets in Biden’s administration.

Trade Adviser Warned White House in January of Risks of a Pandemic

A top White House adviser starkly warned Trump administration officials in late January that the coronavirus crisis could cost the United States trillions of dollars and put millions of Americans at risk of illness or death.

The warning, written in a memo by Peter Navarro, President Trump’s trade adviser, is the highest-level alert known to have circulated inside the West Wing as the administration was taking its first substantive steps to confront a crisis that had already consumed China’s leaders and would go on to upend life in Europe and the United States.

“The lack of immune protection or an existing cure or vaccine would leave Americans defenseless in the case of a full-blown coronavirus outbreak on U.S. soil,” Mr. Navarro’s memo said. “This lack of protection elevates the risk of the coronavirus evolving into a full-blown pandemic, imperiling the lives of millions of Americans.” via ABC News

Angry’s Thoughts: The ironic thing about this is that it’s Navarro who is now feuding with Dr. Fauci over the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment and/or prophylaxes.

This ABC scoop is correct though, but Navarro was far from the only one discussing the possibility of widespread pandemic in the United States. Trump just calculated that it was better to gamble with a pandemic than upset the stock market.

DeSantis announces statewide shutdown order for Florida through April

“Gov. Ron DeSantis is ordering all Floridians to stay at home beginning at 12:01 a.m. Friday, a decision that came after mounting pressure from health officials to lock down the state in the fight against the coronavirus.

Florida had been the only state with more than 5,000 cases without such an order, with DeSantis insisting that localized orders for South Florida and by individual cities and counties were sufficient.” via Orlando Sentinel

Angry’s Thoughts: Well, on the bright side, it only took a month of public shaming to get him here. I just hope he didn’t do irreparable damage to his state’s curve when it’s all said and done.

Social distancing guidelines will likely be in place beyond April, surgeon general says

“Surgeon General Jerome Adams said Wednesday he believes the federal government’s social distancing guidance will extend past the end of April, likely elongating the period in which many Americans will be asked to stay at home to slow the spread of coronavirus.

“In my opinion, I think that in 30 days, we will still be telling the country in general that you need to practice these measures,” Adams told NBC’s “Today” show.

“But in 30 days, some places may not need to have a shelter in place anymore,” he continued. “So, again, we’ll start to ease this in 30 days, I think, in some places. But in other places, we’ll be ramping it up. We’ll follow the data, and we’ll go on based on what the data tells us.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: I’m glad that he’s being honest about this – it would be very optimistic to think that we will be done by the end of April.

Georgia Mayor Cancels Social Distancing Order Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

“On Wednesday, the mayor of Cumming, Georgia, announced that he was canceling the city’s social distancing order, despite there being almost 5,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the state.

“Effective immediately I have rescinded the social distancing order that took effect on the morning of April 1, 2020,” Mayor Troy Brumbalow wrote in a statement posted to Facebook.

“While the intent of the order was to protect the public from the spread of COVID-19, it is obvious that a large portion of our public doesn’t want government mandating the recommendations of public health officials,” the statement adds.” via MSN

Angry’s Thoughts: Apparently, he has now re-imposed it and said that he made a “snap judgement” in cancelling it.

So we’re now rescinding the orders to rescind previous orders because red states have no idea WTF they’re doing. Fun times.

Trump says Iran or its proxies planning a ‘sneak attack,’ warns of a ‘heavy price’

“President Trump asserted Wednesday, without citing specific evidence, that Iran or an Iran-backed militia is planning a “sneak attack” on U.S. troops or assets in Iraq and warned that Iran would “pay a very heavy price” if it were carried out.

The saber rattling from Trump comes as Iran-backed militias are becoming more audacious in attacking U.S. personnel in Iraq, with rocket strikes on military bases occurring more frequently and, for the first time, in broad daylight.

U.S. officials say they are receiving near-daily reports of “imminent” attacks planned against U.S.-linked military or diplomatic facilities. 

“Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq,” Trump said in his tweet, without providing elaboration. “If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed!” via The Washington Post

Angry’s Thoughts: A lot of folks are thinking this is a wag the dog moment, and it could be, BUT, as many in the NatSec community commented when the pandemic first started, terrorists organizations are opportunistic and would definitely take advantage of attention being diverted elsewhere.

House chairman proposes 9/11 Commission-type review of coronavirus outbreak

“A House committee chairman is proposing a post-9/11-style commission to provide a “full accounting” of the nation’s handling of the coronavirus threat before it mushroomed into a full-blown pandemic that threatens to leave hundreds of thousands of Americans dead.

“Americans will need answers on how our government can work better to prevent a similar crisis from happening again,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. “This legislation we are introducing is the first step towards getting this done for the American people.”

The measure, co-sponsored by 14 other Democrats on the panel, would establish a 25-member commission, whose members would be selected by the chair and ranking Republican on each of 12 House committees, as well as one member selected jointly by the chair and vice chair of the Joint Economic Committee.

The panel would be given sweeping authority to conduct a comprehensive 18-month investigation to “make a full and complete accounting of the circumstances surrounding the emergence of the 2019 novel coronavirus, the Nation’s preparedness for the 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic, and the actions taken by Federal, State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments at critical junctures before and after the World Health Organization designated the 2019 novel coronavirus as a public health emergency of international concern on January 30, 2020.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: Pelosi has officially announced this now, and it’s the right move to make. Accountability for the failure to contain this is 100% necessary. This is one of, if not THE biggest blunder in modern American history.

Coronavirus will be ‘imprinted on the personality of our nation for a very long time,’ Fauci warns

“Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, predicted on Wednesday that the effects of the coronavirus pandemic will be “imprinted on the personality of our nation” for years to come.

The stark comments represented a new kind of diagnosis from the country’s top infectious disease expert, who has emerged as a steadying fixture in the national consciousness as one of the leading administration officials working to both combat and better understand the public health crisis.

In a podcast interview with CNN’s Sanjay Gupta, the 79-year-old physician and immunologist elaborated on the “profound” mental and emotional burdens wrought by the novel coronavirus, made evident during conversations with his three daughters.

“I could hear it in the inflections in my daughters’ voices when I speak with them on the phone,” Fauci said. “This is going to be imprinted on the personality of our nation for a very long time. I think this is going to be something that will be with them and have some impact, subconsciously or otherwise, for a very long time in their lives.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: I agree with Dr. Fauci here. There’s going to be at least a small amount of PTSD for almost everyone after this is over. I’ve always washed my hands a lot, but I’m borderline obsessive at the moment. If I touch *anything* that hasn’t been sanitized, I wash my hands or use hand sanitizer. My hand’s don’t appreciate that much, but here we are.

I hope when this is all over, people keep up with these basic hygiene tips, because they’re not just useful for coronavirus. If we practiced more (read: not this extreme) social distancing and proper hand hygiene on a regular basis, we could see less flu cases every year too. The next few months are going to be excruciatingly painful, but hopefully we all come out of it stronger and better prepared for the future.

Trump invokes Defense Production Act for ventilator manufacturing

“U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday invoked the Defense Production Act to aid companies building ventilators for coronavirus patients to receive the supply of materials they need.

In a memo released by the White House, Trump directed the U.S. Health and Human Services secretary to use his authority to help facilitate the supply of ventilator materials for six companies – General Electric Co, Hill-Rom Holdings Inc , Medtronic Plc, Resmed Inc, Royal Philips N.V. and Vyaire Medical Inc.

Lawmakers have clamored for Trump to invoke the act to end or at least reduce the country’s yawning shortage of ventilators. Because the fast-spreading coronavirus is a respiratory disease, the need for ventilators is multiplying by the hundreds each day. On Thursday Johns Hopkins University said more than 1 million people around the world currently have the coronavirus.

State officials and health experts said the United States will ultimately need tens of thousands of additional ventilators.” via Reuters

Angry’s Thoughts: This should have been done over a month ago. The negligence on the part of this administration should be – and probably is – criminal. People who don’t have to die are going to die because of inaction.

As millions lose jobs, Fed policymakers say recession is here

“The U.S. recession is here. How long it will last will depend on the course of a viral pandemic that could still kill hundreds of thousands of Americans and has most of the country under lockdowns aimed at slowing the infection’s spread.

But how quickly the world’s biggest economy will recover will depend on how much aid the government gives it and how effectively aid can be used to stem what are already millions of job losses, Fed officials said Thursday.

“One thing we know from 2008, when you had millions and millions and millions of Americans losing their jobs, it took more than a decade to put the labor market back together,” Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank President Neel Kashkari said in a webcast town-hall event. “I’m really pleased that a lot of the action by the federal government and the state governments has been focused on trying to keep workers in their jobs.” via Reuters

Angry’s Thoughts: McConnell is showing no interest in another stimulus package, Trump’s proposed infrastructure bill – or anything but judges, if we’re being honest – but he’s delusional if he really thinks America isn’t going to need.

Trump set to urge Americans to wear face coverings when outside

“President Donald Trump is preparing to encourage Americans to wear face coverings, the latest effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus, according to three individuals with knowledge of the planned announcement.

Trump’s planned guidance — which two officials said is imminent but not yet finalized — would encourage Americans to use homemade coverings, like cloth masks, scarves or bandannas, when outside the home. Health experts believe that the practice, which is common in nations like Singapore and Japan but unusual in the United States, would reduce the risk of individuals not exhibiting symptoms spreading the disease.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: This is such an infuriating change of direction. We went from “hey don’t buy masks, they probably don’t work anyway, and the doctors need those” to “hey everyone should wear masks” – small problem in this calculus: there are no masks.

New York hospitals rationing ventilators, retrofitting equipment amid crush of coronavirus

“Hospitals and physicians are making difficult choices to contend with an almost certain shortage of ventilators in the coming days, as the coronavirus rapidly spreads throughout the state.

Emergency physicians are already being told to use their judgment in deciding who should be hooked up to a ventilator as stockpiles of the essential equipment dwindle. And hospitals are converting machines typically used to treat sleep apnea as bidding wars and supply constraints make it nearly impossible to acquire enough ventilators and protective equipment ahead of the projected apex of cases in New York.

Medical experts have warned there will be long-term ramifications both for the physical health of patients and the mental health of the doctors faced with life and death decisions — but the worsening pandemic has increasingly made such choices a necessity.

“Already, some emergency physicians are reporting being told the equivalent of ‘Use your best judgement. You’re on your own,’” said Art Fougner, a medical doctor and president of the Medical Society of the State of New York, in a statement on the ventilator shortage. “For sure, we will be seeing increasing depression and PTSD that will eclipse today’s physician burnout.”

Angry’s Thoughts: Absolutely heartbreaking. I, perhaps naively, hoped that we wouldn’t reach the wartime triage portion of this epidemic in any of our cities. For being the richest country in the world, the way we’ve failed our people is one of the most unforgivable things I’ve seen in my lifetime.

To be clear, this failure isn’t *just* a Trump problem – we’ve known since 2005 that we didn’t have the medical equipment needed for a massive pandemic in the United States.

The more pressing matters right now *are* a Trump problem; not invoking the DPA earlier, wasting precious time to build lifesaving ventilators, giving pallet-loads of PPE to China when we KNEW it was going to get bad here, etc. are all solely on Trump’s shoulders – it’s inexcusable that we are this ill-prepared to take care of our people.

Pentagon eyes Chicago, Michigan, Florida, Louisiana as coronavirus spreads

The U.S. military is watching coronavirus infection trends in Chicago, Michigan, Florida and Louisiana with concern as it weighs where else it may have deploy, after boosting aid to New York, California and Washington, a top general said on Friday.

Air Force General John Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the military was doing its own analysis as well as looking at data on infections compiled elsewhere in the government.

“There’s a certain number of places where we have concerns and they’re: Chicago, Michigan, Florida, Louisiana,” Hyten told a group of reporters, when asked where field hospitals could head next.

“Those are the areas that we’re looking at and trying to figure out where to go next.” via Reuters

Angry’s Thoughts: I’m glad the military is planning ahead. These are most of the places I’ve been watching too. I’m also concerned with parts of Texas, namely Houston and Dallas, as well as Ohio.

Trump signs $2 trillion coronavirus bill into law

“President Trump on Friday signed a massive $2 trillion emergency spending bill into law, promising to deliver a tidal wave of cash to individual Americans, businesses and health care facilities all reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.

His signature came just hours after the House of Representatives passed the massive package by an overwhelming voice vote, and less than 48 hours after it received unanimous approval from the Senate.

“This will deliver urgently needed relief to our nation’s families, workers and businesses. And that’s what this is all about,” Trump said at a signing ceremony in the Oval Office, with GOP congressional leaders and administration officials crowded behind him.

“I want to thank Republicans and Democrats for coming together, setting aside their differences and putting America first,” Trump said, although Democrats were not invited to the signing ceremony.” via The Washington Post

Angry’s Thoughts: I like how he thinks he insulted the Dems by not allowing them to come to the signing, when instead he probably kept them from getting COVID-19 with that hugfest that was going on.

Trish Regan Out at Fox Business After Coronavirus Comments

“Fox Business Network has parted ways with Trish Regan days after her comments that the coronavirus was “another attempt to impeach the president.”

“Fox Business has parted ways with Trish Regan – we thank her for her contributions to the network over the years and wish her continued success in her future endeavors. We will continue our reduced live primetime schedule for the foreseeable future in an effort to allocate staff resources to continuous breaking news coverage on the coronavirus crisis,” the network said in a statement.

Regan added in her own statement, “I have enjoyed my time at Fox and now intend to focus on my family during these troubled times. I am grateful to my incredible team at Fox Business and for the many opportunities the network has provided me. I’m looking forward to this next chapter in my career.” via MSN

Angry’s Thoughts: Womp womp.

Trudeau to Washington: Sending troops to border would be a mistake

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canadian officials have made it clear to the United States that it would be a mistake to position troops near the border.

“We certainly hope that they’re not going to go through with that,” he said this morning during his daily briefing outside his home at Rideau Cottage, speaking a day after news broke that the U.S. was considering the move.

Asked about reports that the Trump administration has dropped these plans, first disclosed on Thursday, Trudeau said he had no news to share on the subject.

The prime minister said senior officials have been back and forth with U.S. administration on “many, many issues” around the border.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Friday Canadian officials continue to speak “energetically” with their U.S. counterparts. Asked for the latest developments during a noon-hour briefing, she said it is up to the Trump administration to update its position.

“Canada has continued to express clearly and forcefully that there is no logical reason to militarize our border with the United States,” she said. “And we have been very clear also that such an action would damage our relationship.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: This is one of the most asinine things he’s ever suggested, and that’s saying something. There is literally no reason to even consider militarizing the border of our most dependable ally.

Trump authorizes DoD, DHS to call up reservists to fight virus

“President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday giving the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security the authority to activate the ready reserve components of the armed forces to support the nationwide response to the coronavirus.

The executive order provides DoD and DHS — which oversees the Coast Guard — emergency authority to order to active duty as many as 1 million members of the ready reserves. However, it is not an order to do so.

Trump said the order would allow the U.S. to mobilize medical, disaster and emergency response personnel to help fight the virus, which has sickened more than 100,000 people around the country. Already this week, the Army, Navy and Veterans Affairs Department have called on former service members to rejoin the force and help the military in the pandemic response.

The Army has since heard from 14,600 people who had expressed interest, according to a spokesperson” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: If you haven’t noticed, he’s scrambling. He’s now realizing – though he’ll never admit it – that he waited entirely too late to act, and now he’s trying to do anything possible to make it seem like he’s on top of things.

Spoiler alert: he’s not.

‘GM was wasting time’: Trump invokes DPA to force GM to make ventilators

President Donald Trump today invoked the Defense Production Act, directing General Motors to produce ventilators needed for the coronavirus outbreak, hours after lashing out at the automaker on Twitter and following weeks of increasingly loud pleas from governors and mayors to put the powerful statute into use.

Trump also appointed trade advisor Peter Navarro to coordinate the government’s efforts to purchase and distribute emergency medical supplies, including ventilators and protective equipment for health care workers.

“We will not hesitate to use the full authority of the federal government to combat this crisis,” Trump said at a White House briefing. “We thought we had a deal with, as an example General Motors, and I guess they thought otherwise. They didn’t agree, and now they do.”

The move to activate the Korean War-era emergency law came the same day that Trump slammed GM on Twitter after reports emerged that his administration had called off a deal to buy tens of thousands of ventilators that GM agreed to produce in partnership with a ventilator manufacturer. It marks a pivotal turn in Trump’s previous reluctance to put the DPA into use.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: See above comment about scrambling. This could have been done months ago, and GM could have already produced literally thousands of ventilators, along with Ford and Tesla. It’s not an exaggeration to say that people will die because of his inaction.

Federal officials repeatedly warned that US hospitals lacked enough ventilators

“In at least 10 government reports from 2003 to 2015, federal officials predicted the United States would experience a critical lack of ventilators and other lifesaving medical supplies if it faced a viral outbreak like the one currently sweeping the country.

The drumbeat of warnings undermines President Donald Trump’s claim last week that “nobody in their wildest dreams” could have imagined the demand for ventilators that now exists. The demand is pushing hospitals to the brink in New York City and threatening to do so in parts of Washington state, California, Louisiana and beyond.

In addition, a 2017 study funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that “substantial concern exists that intensive care units (ICUs) might have insufficient resources to treat all persons requiring ventilator support” and that even the supplies held in the so-called Strategic National Stockpile “might not suffice to meet demand during a severe public health emergency.” via CNN

Angry’s Thoughts: HE DOESN’T READ HIS BRIEFING MATERIAL. THIS IS WHY YOU CAN’T ELECT A PRESIDENT THAT REFUSES TO READ. BAD THINGS HAPPEN.

As U.S. cases exceed 100,000, doctors decry scarcity of drugs and equipment

“Doctors and nurses on the front lines of the U.S. coronavirus crisis pleaded on Friday for more protective gear and equipment to treat waves of patients expected to overwhelm hospitals as the number of known U.S. infections surpassed 100,000, with more than 1,500 dead.

Physicians have called attention to a desperate need for additional ventilators, machines that help patients breathe and are widely needed for those suffering from COVID-19, the respiratory ailment caused by the highly contagious novel coronavirus.

Hospitals in New York City, New Orleans, Detroit and other virus hot spots also have sounded the alarm about scarcities of drugs, medical supplies and trained staff as the number of confirmed cases rose by 15,000 on Friday to just over 100,000.” via Reuters

Angry’s Thoughts: Coupled with the reports that we’ve known about these shortages for years and the fact that we shipped tons of equipment to China even after the IC and CDC said it was going to be bad here, this is criminally negligent behavior. There is NO reason that our Doctors and nurses should be on the frontlines with no PPE and without the medications needed to at least help alleviate symptoms.

A defiant Maduro threatens ‘cowboy’ Trump after drug charge

“Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro stood defiant in the face of a $15 million bounty by the U.S. to face drug trafficking charges, calling Donald Trump a “racist cowboy” and warning that he is ready to fight by whatever means necessary should the U.S. and neighboring Colombia dare to invade.

Maduro’s bellicose remarks Thursday night came hours after the U.S. announced sweeping indictments against the socialist leader and several members of his inner circle for allegedly converting Venezuela into a criminal enterprise at the service of drug traffickers and terrorist groups.

One indictment by prosecutors in New York accused Maduro and socialist party boss Diosdado Cabello, head of the rubber-stamp constitutional assembly, of conspiring with Colombian rebels and members of the military “to flood the United States with cocaine” and use the drug trade as a “weapon against America.” via AP

Angry’s Thoughts: Go home, Maduro, you’re drunk – and we’re kind of dealing with a pandemic in both of our countries right now.

As Trump invokes presidential powers to fight the coronavirus, he sows confusion along the way

“Eager to demonstrate that he is in control of a viral outbreak that is spreading rapidly across the country, President Trump has ramped up efforts to show he is using some of his broadest powers as commander in chief.

But the unprecedented push has been plagued by growing confusion about how far his authorities actually extend and how much he is willing to use them.

He blindsided New York’s governor Saturday by publicly announcing a potential quarantine order on the state’s residents, only to retreat from the idea hours later. This came a day after he authorized his government to use the Defense Production Act, a move on which he’d been taking an on-again, off-again stance, but it remains unclear whether that power will be used.

And he is due to issue new guidelines next week about whether the country should continue social distancing practices — but he’s vacillated between all but declaring victory against the coronavirus and acceding to experts who say the national slowdown may have to continue for several more weeks.” via The Washington Post

Angry’s Thoughts: Who could have imagined that having a third-rate reality show carnival barker for President could go so badly?

Liberty University Brings Back Its Students, and Coronavirus, Too

“As Liberty University’s spring break was drawing to a close this month, Jerry Falwell Jr., its president, spoke with the physician who runs Liberty’s student health service about the rampaging coronavirus.

“We’ve lost the ability to corral this thing,” Dr. Thomas W. Eppes Jr. said he told Mr. Falwell. But he did not urge him to close the school. “I just am not going to be so presumptuous as to say, ‘This is what you should do and this is what you shouldn’t do,’” Dr. Eppes said in an interview.

So Mr. Falwell — a staunch ally of President Trump and an influential voice in the evangelical world — reopened the university last week, igniting a firestorm. As of Friday, Dr. Eppes said, nearly a dozen Liberty students were sick with symptoms that suggested Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus. Three were referred to local hospital centers for testing. Another eight were told to self-isolate.” via NYT

Angry’s Thoughts: We call this Darwinism, but in this case, it’s not just dangerous for the morons participating in it.

Senator says White House turned down emergency coronavirus funding in early February

“Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, says that Trump administration officials declined an offer of early congressional funding assistance that he and other senators made on Feb. 5 during a meeting to discuss the coronavirus.

The officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, said they “didn’t need emergency funding, that they would be able to handle it within existing appropriations,” Murphy recalled in an interview with Yahoo News’ “Skullduggery” podcast.

“What an awful, horrible catastrophic mistake that was,” Murphy said. 

On Feb. 5, Murphy tweeted: “Just left the Administration briefing on Coronavirus. Bottom line: they aren’t taking this seriously enough. Notably, no request for ANY emergency funding, which is a big mistake. Local health systems need supplies, training, screening staff etc. And they need it now.” via Yahoo

Angry’s Thoughts: Criminal. Negligence.

U.S. could face 200,000 coronavirus deaths, millions of cases, Fauci warns

Angry’s Thoughts: 🙁

This could have all been prevented.

White House Airlifts Medical Supplies From China in Coronavirus Fight

“A commercial aircraft carrying 80 tons of gloves, masks, gowns and other medical supplies from Shanghai touched down in New York on Sunday, the first of 22 scheduled flights that White House officials say will funnel much-needed goods to the United States by early April as it battles the world’s largest coronavirus outbreak.

The plane delivered 130,000 N95 masks, 1.8 million face masks and gowns, 10 million gloves and thousands of thermometers for distribution to New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, said Lizzie Litzow, a spokeswoman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Ms. Litzow said that flights would be arriving in Chicago on Monday and in Ohio on Tuesday, and that supplies would be sent from there to other states using private-sector distribution networks.” via NYT

Angry’s Thoughts: Good news, but it’s just a drop in the bucket when looking at the numbers we are going to actually need.

Fauci: Social distancing guidelines likely to remain

“The nation’s top infectious disease expert expressed doubt on Sunday that the White House would lift its social distancing guidelines at the end of its 15-day time frame, projecting it “would be a matter of weeks” before the U.S. is ready to start pulling back restrictions.

“My own opinion, looking at the way things are, I doubt if that would be the case,” Anthony Fauci said Sunday morning on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We’ll look at it. And if we need to push the date forward, we will push the date forward.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: Well, Dr. Fauci was indeed correct – Trump announced that social distancing would continue through April. This is the right move. What has impressed me the most is that Fauci is able to consistently tell the truth – and contradict the President – and he still manage to keep his job.

I hope that continues. The country needs Fauci at the moment more than I think we’ve ever needed one individual.

Not His First Epidemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci Sticks to the Facts

“Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading expert on infectious diseases, is widely respected for his ability to explain science without talking down to his audience — and lately, for managing to correct the president’s pronouncements without saying he is wrong.

President Trump said that drug companies would make a coronavirus vaccine ready “soon.” Dr. Fauci has repeatedly stepped up after the president to the lectern during televised briefings or at White House round tables to amend that timetable, giving a more accurate estimate of at least a year or 18 months.

Mr. Trump said a “cure” might be possible. Dr. Fauci explained that antiviral drugs were being studied to see if they might make the illness less severe. The president also said the disease would go away in the spring. Dr. Fauci said maybe so, but because it was caused by a new virus, there was no way to tell.” via NYT

Angry’s Thoughts: So far, Fauci has done a relatively good job of walking the tightrope between telling the truth and avoiding Trump’s ire. That’s not going to be possible for much longer, because this is getting worse, and fast.

The markets are spooked, treasury yields are down, oil is tanking. Trump is going to be looking for good news, and unfortunately there’s not much right now.

Confusion spreads as Italy tries to lock down 16 million people

“Italy on Sunday launched a complicated and urgent plan to restrict the movement of roughly 16 million people, a measure that unleashed confusion about how it could be enforced and whether it would be enough to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The plan to lock down large swaths of the north was the first major attempt by a democracy during the coronavirus crisis to radically halt the routines of daily life — an effort that will have significant impacts on civil liberties. But in the hours before and after the measure became law, people continued to stream out of the northern hubs of Milan and Venice on trains and planes for southern Italy or elsewhere in Europe.” via The Washington Post

Angry’s Thoughts: Watching the way other countries are handling this has made me realize how ill-equipped the United States really is for a pandemic. Yes, our medical care is top notch, but we’re so content with our way of life that it’s hard to change when you have to. Every other country that’s being hit hard is closing *everything* and we are still trying to figure out what to do with Coachella.

Ted Cruz self-quaratines after interaction with CPAC attendee who has coronavirus

“Sen. Ted Cruz said he would remain at home in Texas for the next week after he interacted with a person infected with coronavirus at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

The Texas Republican said he was informed Saturday night abut his brief interaction with the infected individual but noted he has not experienced any symptoms.

“The interaction consisted of a brief conversation and a handshake,” Cruz said in a statement Sunday.

“I am not experiencing any symptoms, and I feel fine and healthy,” he added. “Given that the interaction was 10 days ago, that the average incubation period is 5-6 days, that the interaction was for less than a minute, and that I have no current symptoms, the medical authorities have advised me that the odds of transmission from the other individual to me were extremely low.” via The Washington Examiner

Angry’s Thoughts: This is terrible news for Heidi – she has to spend a full week with Ted.

Update: Rep. Gosar is also self-quarantining, and I’m still having a hard time drawing up any sympathy.

Governments step up coronavirus response as U.S. cases top 500

“Governments intensified their efforts Sunday to combat the global spread of the novel coronavirus, as Saudi Arabia followed Italy in enacting new travel restrictions, Iran suspended flights to Europe, and the United States, where the number of cases topped 500, warned citizens against cruise travel.

Uncertainty continued to permeate the response effort, however, amid muddled directives from the Trump administration and reports of some patients unable to access testing. A virus-stricken cruise ship made its way to California to dock — only for Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson to decline to discuss the details of the federal response plan during a national television interview.

The Department of Health and Human Services said later Sunday that the Grand Princess cruise ship’s more than 3,500 passengers, at least 21 of whom have tested positive for the coronavirus, will be quarantined in California, Texas and Georgia.” via The Washington Post

Angry’s Thoughts: Obvious question: why the hell did it take 500 cases to make us step up our response? Our handling of this has been abysmal, at best.

After threatening ‘momentous’ action, North Korea fires weapons

“North Korea fired three unidentified projectiles off its east coast on Monday, South Korea’s military said, two days after the North threatened to take “momentous” action to protest outside condemnation over its earlier live-fire exercises.

Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement it detected the three launches made from an eastern coastal town in the North’s South Hamgyong province. It said South Korea’s military is monitoring North Korea for possible additional launches.

In the past 10 days, North Korea has said leader Kim Jong Un supervised two rounds of live-fire artillery exercises in its first weapons tests since late November. Kim had entered the new year with a vow to bolster his nuclear deterrent and not to be bound by a major weapons test moratorium amid a deadlock in a U.S.-led diplomacy aimed at convincing Kim to abandon his nuclear program in return for economic and political benefits.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: Kim, we’re kind of in the middle of multiple crises right now, and we really don’t have time for your saber rattling.

‘Manipulated media’: Twitter applies new label to edited video of Biden

“Twitter applied its new “manipulated media“ label for the first time Sundayon an edited video of Joe Biden that a White House official posted and that President Donald Trump retweeted.

On Saturday, the White House social media director, Dan Scavino, tweeted a video of the 2020 Democratic candidate telling supporters in Missouri, “We cannot win this re-election, excuse me, we can only re-elect Donald Trump.”

By the end of the night, Trump had shared the video twice, writing, “I agree with Joe!” It also got a retweet from the Trump campaign manager, Brad Parscale.

However, the Scavino tweet — which was viewed almost 5 million times as of Sunday evening — had cut off the rest of the sentence.

“We can only re-elect Donald Trump if, in fact, we get engaged in this circular firing squad here,” the former vice president had said. “It’s got to be a positive campaign, so join us.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: Personally, I’m shocked that the White House is putting out doctored videos to help spread their propaganda.

Narrator: Angry was not, in fact, at all shocked.

Trump’s intel power play spooks the spooks

“President Donald Trump’s nomination of Texas Rep. John Ratcliffe to serve as the nation’s intel chief has led to some apprehension within the intelligence community, which has only grudgingly come to accept the Office of the Director of National Intelligence as a force for good.

The office, established in 2004 to better coordinate the flow of information between agencies after the intelligence failures that led up to 9/11, has been most effective as a day-to-day manager focusing on bureaucratic and budgeting issues, intel veterans said — giving the agencies political top cover and more freedom to focus on their core missions.

But with a grip on the President’s Daily Brief, broad discretion over the agencies’ responsiveness to Congress, and responsibility for intelligence community whistleblowing and source protection, the DNI can easily veer into the political and revive the kind of friction that plagued its relationship with the intelligence community in its early days.

And Ratcliffe — an intel greenhorn with only one year of experience on the House Intelligence Committee and a résumé that now includes serving on Trump’s impeachment team — is the epitome of what intelligence officers “reflexively” reject, said David Priess, a former CIA officer and daily intelligence briefer.

“Anyone who does not come with extensive intelligence experience is automatically and quickly viewed as a threat because of the risk of the politicization of intelligence,” Priess said.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: I’ve been telling you guys the IC was getting nervous for awhile, but this article is 100% accurate. Politics has *no* place in Intelligence; analysts have to be able to provide candid, unvarnished assessments of global threats without fear of reprisal. Trying to install a political figurehead at ODNI is a new low in an administration full of dubious choices.

I hope the Senate has the guts to push back on this again.

Global stocks tumble as oil crashes, compounding coronavirus fears

“Global stocks are falling and bond yields are sinking after the implosion of a critical oil alliance caused crude prices to crash to historic lows.

S&P 500 (SPX) futures plunged as much as 5% Sunday evening, triggering a limit that prevents futures from trading below that mark. Dow (INDU) futures fell more than 1,200 points, or about 4.9%. Nasdaq Composite (COMP) futures were down 4.8%.

The sell-off carried over into Asia Pacific, where Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dropped 6.3% on Monday, putting the index on pace for its biggest plunge since October 2008. Japan’s Nikkei 225 (N225) sank 5.6%, heading for its lowest close in more than a year.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSI) lost 3.5% by noon, setting the index up for its biggest decline in more than a year. South Korea’s Kospi (KOSPI) also fell 4%. China’s Shanghai Composite (SHCOMP) was the best performer among major indexes in Asia — and even then was still down 2.5%.” via CNN

Angry’s Thoughts: This is about the worst time possible for Russia and Saudi Arabia to have an oil war, so naturally, Russia and Saudi Arabia are having an oil war.

Trump spurns Pelosi’s invite to St. Patrick’s Day lunch

“President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have declined an invitation to attend the annual St. Patrick’s Day lunch on Capitol Hill on Thursday, marking the first time since the event’s founding more than three decades ago that neither the president nor vice president will attend.

The White House pinned Trump’s decision not to attend the lunch — a bipartisan tradition celebrating US-Ireland relations — on his strained relationship with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The lunch is hosted each year by the sitting speaker, and Pelosi invited the President last month.

“Since the Speaker has chosen to tear this Nation apart with her actions and her rhetoric, the President will not participate in moments where she so often chooses to drive discord and disunity, and will instead celebrate the rich history and strong ties between the United States and Ireland at the White House on March 12,” said White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere in a statement. “The relationship between our two countries has never been stronger, and the President looks forward to welcoming the Prime Minister of Ireland for the annual Shamrock Bowl presentation.” via CNN

Angry’s Thoughts: He’s destroyed just about all the rest of the bipartisan norms, what’s one more in the grand scheme of things?

US surgeon general says he thinks coronavirus is contained in certain areas of the country

The United States surgeon general said Sunday that he thinks the coronavirus outbreak is being contained in certain areas of the country as cases of the virus rise across the United States.

“If we had massive numbers of cases we would be seeing more deaths. And so we actually feel pretty good that some parts of the country have contained it just like when you look at the flu,” Surgeon General Jerome Adams told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.” His comments come as the number of cases in the US has increased to more than 550 with at least 21 deaths.

Adams continued Sunday, saying: “And when we look at the flu tracker, some parts of the country are having much more severe flu seasons. Some are having very mild flu seasons. The same thing for coronavirus.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on “Fox News Sunday” that the passengers aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship, currently quarantined off the coast of California, should “absolutely not” be left on the ship.” via CNN

Angry’s Thoughts: This is such a dangerous position for the Surgeon General to take. Coronavirus is “contained” in parts of the country because WE AREN’T FREAKING TESTING FOR IT. We’ve conducted less tests *total* than South Korea is doing per day.

They can’t manipulate numbers until this virus goes away – that’s a flat-out untenable position.

But they’re going to try.

Coronavirus updates: 11th death in the US

“Health officials in King County in Seattle has reported an eleventh death in the U.S. from the coronavirus, according to a statement.

The patient, who is in her 80s, died at her family home on Feb. 26, officials said.

County officials also confirmed an additional seven cases of the virus, bringing the total confirmed cases to 21, which includes the patients who died.

Eight of the patients who died are from King County, one is from neighboring Snohomish County, which is reporting six total confirmed cases.

Twelve of 30 firefighters and police officers in Kirkland, Washington, who were quarantined after potential or direct exposure to COVID-19 are showing flu-like symptoms, city officials confirmed.

One firefighter was released from being quarantined at a fire station after waiting for 14 days, officials said.

Among the remaining 29 first responders, 19 confirmed they had direct exposure to the virus while responding to calls at a care facility.” via ABC News

Angry’s Thoughts: “One firefighter was released from being quarantined at a fire station after waiting for 14 days”

Why the hell is the public just now hearing about this if we’ve been quarantining first responders for more than two weeks?

Dow closes nearly 800 points lower despite surprise Fed rate cut

“Stocks fell sharply in volatile trading on Tuesday as an emergency rate cut by the Federal Reserve failed to assuage concerns of slower economic growth due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The decision to cut rates by half a percentage point came two weeks before the Fed’s scheduled meeting as the central bank felt it was necessary to act quickly to combat the effect of the virus spreading worldwide. It’s the first such emergency action coming in between scheduled meetings since the financial crisis.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 785.91 points lower, or nearly 3%, to 25,917.41; it rose more than 300 points earlier in the day. The 30-stock average gyrated between sharp gains and solid losses after the decision was announced. The S&P 500 fell 2.8% to 3,003.37 while the Nasdaq Composite pulled back 3% to 8,684.09.

Investors, in turn, loaded up on U.S. Treasurys, pushing the benchmark 10-year yield below 1% for the first time ever. Gold, meanwhile, jumped 2.9% to settle at $1,644.40 per ounce.” via CNBC

Angry’s Thoughts: This is interesting; these ham-handed measures usually at least temporarily satiate the markets. Today, we saw the exact opposite effect.

Update: And then the Dow rose almost 1,200 today. Coincidence that it happened after Biden almost swept Super Tuesday? I think not!

Biden surges into lead nationally after Buttigieg, Klobuchar exits: poll

“Former Vice President Joe Biden surged to the top of the 2020 Democratic presidential field after former candidates Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) ended their campaigns, a poll released on Tuesday found.

The Morning Consult poll released on the day of Super Tuesday primaries in 14 states shows Biden leading with 36 percent support nationally.

The former vice president had 26 percent in Sunday’s poll, which was taken after he won the South Carolina primary but before Buttigieg and Klobuchar left the race.” via The Hill

Angry’s Thoughts: I’m sure you all watched the Super Tuesday results. I thought Biden would have a good day, but I’m actually pretty shocked at the momentum he gained.

No matter who wins the primary, I really hope we can all realize that this is the most important election of our lives and coalesce behind them in November.

Senators press Pence over coronavirus response in private briefing

“Senators on Tuesday pressed Vice President Pence in a closed-door meeting over the administration’s response to coronavirus, particularly expressing concerns with a lack of testing.

Democratic senators, in particular, asked sharp questions of Pence and administration health officials during a visit to their lunch meeting to discuss the spreading virus.

Some Republican senators, in addition, said they shared growing concerns among Democrats and experts that there are not enough tests being made available, hindering the ability of officials to know how widespread the virus is within the United States.

FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn told GOP senators, repeating his public comments, that up to a million tests will be available by the end of the week. But some senators, as well as some public health experts, have expressed skepticism of that total.

In the Democratic lunch, Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, who represent Washington state, which is at the center of the spread of the virus in the U.S., took a lead role in questioning Pence.

Cantwell asked the vice president, who President Trump tapped to lead the administration’s response, about the lack of tests available.” via The Hill

Angry’s Thoughts: I’m glad the administration is being pressed about this, because they’re flat-out lying to the American public. Saying things like a vaccine is on the way, or claiming that a million test kits will be available this week have exactly zero basis in reality; they’re burying their heads in the sand and hoping the problem will magically go away with warmer weather.

CDC blocked FDA official from premises

In a sign of growing tension among the Trump administration’s health agencies, officials are expressing frustration that a top scientist was initially rebuffed when attempting to visit the CDC in Atlanta last month to help coordinate the government’s stalled coronavirus testing, two individuals with knowledge of the episode told POLITICO.

Timothy Stenzel, who is the director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of In Vitro Diagnostics and Radiological Health, was made to wait overnight on the weekend of Feb. 22 — as senior health department officials negotiated his access in a series of calls — before Centers for Disease Control granted him permission to be on campus. Stenzel’s visit had been expected, the individuals said.

The FDA had dispatched Stenzel to the CDC in an effort to expedite the development of lab tests for the novel coronavirus outbreak. Problems with the CDC-developed test delayed the Trump administration’s plan to expand screening for weeks, POLITICO first reported on Feb. 20. A senior HHS official confirmed the episode.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: Well-oiled machine.

Burr, Warner ask DNI to declassify Khashoggi info

“The bipartisan leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee are demanding that the Trump administration disclose information about the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.), the chairman and vice chairman of the panel, sent a letter to acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell on Monday asking him to declassify key details about Khashoggi’s brutal 2018 killing, according to a source familiar with the matter. Their letter follows a similar effort by House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who wrote to Grenell separately last week.

The Trump administration was required under a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act to reveal its formal determination of who was responsible for Khashoggi’s murder and dismemberment — which was carried out inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul — by late January. The intelligence community has yet to make a public declaration as required by law, only sending a classified report to Capitol Hill.

Lawmakers have been briefed multiple times on Khashoggi’s murder, but the Trump administration has yet to publicly acknowledge what senators from both parties said was clear to them from the briefings: that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing and was kept apprised of the government-led operation to murder and dismember Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen and legal U.S. resident who was highly critical of the regime.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: Personally, I’m shocked that the guy who communicates with Jared on – and hacked Jeff Bezos using – WhatsApp hasn’t been held accountable for killing a journalist by an administration who doesn’t believe in the First Amendment.

Warren, Sanders allies scramble to find her an exit ramp

“Top surrogates and allies of Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are discussing ways for their two camps to unite and push a common liberal agenda, with the expectation that Warren is likely to leave the presidential campaign soon, according to two people familiar with the talks.

The conversations, which are in an early phase, largely involve members of Congress who back Sanders (I-Vt.) reaching out to those in Warren’s camp to explore the prospect that Warren (D-Mass.) might endorse him. They are also appealing to Warren’s supporters to switch their allegiance to Sanders, according two people with direct knowledge of the conversations who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss delicate discussions that are supposed to be confidential.

Warren associates and the camp of former vice president Joe Biden also had talks about a potential endorsement if she drops out, according to two people familiar with the conversations.” via The Washington Post

Angry’s Thoughts: Here’s to hoping she gives that endorsement to Biden.

Chief Justice John Roberts rebukes Chuck Schumer for comments about Kavanaugh and Gorsuch

Chief Justice John Roberts issued a rare statement rebuking Chuck Schumer for comments the Senate minority leader made about Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch outside the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Schumer, speaking at a rally of abortion rights supporters, appeared to threaten Kavanaugh and Gorsuch, President Donald Trump’s two Supreme Court nominees who were confirmed after bruising nomination fights.

“I want to tell you Gorsuch. I want to tell you Kavanaugh. You have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price. You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions,” Schumer said, turning to look at the Supreme Court building.

Schumer went on to say, “The bottom line is very simple: we will stand with the American people. We will stand with American women. We will tell President Trump and Senate Republicans who have stacked the court with right-wing ideologues, that you’re gonna be gone in November and you will never be able to do what you’re trying to do now, ever, ever again. You hear that over there on the far-right? You’re gone in November.” via CNN

Angry’s Thoughts: This was a bad moment for Schumer, but Roberts can spare me his pearl-clutching after he stood by and said nothing while Trump repeatedly attacked two female Justices and Judge Jackson last week.

California declares coronavirus emergency amid worries about cruise ship passengers

“Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency over the novel coronavirus after a California man who had contracted it during a cruise died.

Officials were now trying to locate others who were on the ship to determine whether they might have also contracted the virus.

The virus has now been reported in 12 counties in the state and has sickened more than 50 people.

Newsom said he felt confident that the state could contain the spread of the virus by passengers of the cruise who had already returned to California.

“We have the resources,” Newsom said. “We have the capacity. By this evening, we will have contacted every county health official that has someone who came off this cruise. They will have their contact information and begin a process to contact those individuals.” via La Times

Angry’s Thoughts: This is getting out of control pretty quickly. If you didn’t see Pence’s presser on Coronavirus today, it was pretty reasonable – at least on its face.

Pence, in part, promised that everyone would have access to a coronavirus test as long as it was ordered by a medical professional. The problem is, this is a very basic part of crisis management and should have been standard operating practice from the beginning. It’s also hard to take them seriously after forcing an off-camera, no audio briefing yesterday. Coronavirus is the most important matter currently facing the nation, and it’s vital that the administration is able to be held accountable by the American people.

They’re also lauding a multi-screening process at airports for nations that aren’t affected by the travel ban. The obvious problem here is that people are shedding the virus before they’re symptomatic.

On the bright side, they did announce that all state and university laboratories are going to be able to test for COVID-19. That’s a big deal, because the prior approach was to wait for CDC approval to test anyone, which led to a lot of folks who should have been tested being skipped.

I still think the administration is wholly unqualified to address this potential pandemic, but this press conference wasn’t a total dumpster fire.

Federal court rejects Gabbard’s bias suit against Google

“A federal judge has rejected a lawsuit in which Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard accused Google of temporarily suspending her presidential campaign ads due to political bias — noting that the online search giant is not a government entity bound by the First Amendment.

District Judge Stephen Wilson said Gabbard failed to show that Google’s decisions are “in any way equivalent to a government regulation of an election.”

“Google does not hold primaries, it does not select candidates, and it does not prevent anyone from running for office or voting in elections,” Wilson wrote in his decision dated Tuesday. “To the extent Google ‘regulates’ anything, it regulates its own private speech and platform.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: Terrible candidate doesn’t understand how search engines work.

Republicans lean into Biden probe as he surges in Democratic primary

“Just hours afterJoe Biden surged to the top of the Democratic presidential pack, Senate Republicans announced a new phase of their investigation targetingthe former vice presidentand his son Hunter.

Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) told reporters on Wednesday that he is likely to release an interim report within one to two months on his panel’s probe of Hunter Biden’s ties to a Ukrainian gas company, Burisma.

“These are questions that Joe Biden has not adequately answered,” Johnsonsaid.“And if I were a Democrat primary voter, I’d want these questions satisfactorily answered before I cast my final vote.”

Johnson insisted that the timing of his probe has nothing to do with the election calendar. But the renewed focus on Biden, coinciding with his surge to frontrunner status, has alarmed House Democrats as they brace for an all-out GOP assault on Biden and his son over an issue that was litigated at length during President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: Well, that didn’t take long. Reminder: Johnson already admitted that the Burisma investigation was a sham to begin with. I don’t think this is going to have the desired effect; the GOP played this card way too early and often. I suspect a lot of eye rolls from the American public, and that’s probably about it.

My only real concern is what fake info the Russians planted when the hacked Burisma’s servers.

Update:

Tonight was our most-recent Patron-Only Chat Session. If you’d like to help support my work and get in on the fun for the next one (Saturday – 3/7), you can do so right here!

US coronavirus: 6 people have died as cases nationwide surge

“Six people have died in Washington state as the United States grapples with more than 100 cases of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Five deaths are from Seattle and King County, county health official Jeffrey Duchin said Monday.

The sixth death happened in Snohomish County, said Heather Thomas, spokeswoman with the Snohomish Health District.

So far, every death from novel coronavirus in the United States has been in Washington state.

A recent surge of cases nationwide has prompted new travel restrictions, school closures and emergency declarations.

But now is not the time to panic, US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said.

“I want folks to understand that we knew this was coming, we told folks that this was going to happen and it is why we’ve been preaching preparedness from the very start,” Adams said Monday.” via CNN

Angry’s Thoughts: I agree that now is not the time to panic, but if we’re being fair to the people who are panicking, they only “told folks this was going to happen” about 4 days before we started getting reports of deaths in the United States.

The obvious question here is what else are they not being allowed to share about this?

FEMA prepping for possible coronavirus emergency declaration

“The Federal Emergency Management Agency is planning for the possibility that President Donald Trump could make an emergency declaration to bring in extra funds and personnel to assist the administration’s coronavirus response, according to internal documents obtained by NBC News.

FEMA officials are preparing for an “infectious disease emergency declaration” by the president that would allow the agency to provide disaster relief funding to state and local governments, as well as federal assistance to support the coronavirus response, according to agency planning documents reviewed by NBC News.

The Trump administration would have to use the 1988 Stafford Act to enable FEMA to provide such disaster assistance. Emergency declarations are most often used in the event of natural disasters but can be used to help manage disease outbreaks.” via NBC News

Angry’s Thoughts: Pence promised that “money was coming” today, but Pence also said the threat was still low – AFTER reports that it’s probably been spreading undetected in Washington State for 6 weeks.

It’s way too early to know the exact fatality-rate of COVID-19. Current stats are putting it somewhere around the Spanish Flu of 1918. To be fair, it’s probably much lower than that, because we’re probably looking at tens of thousands (or more) cases that have gone unreported. Here’s to hoping we can contain this long enough to at least ease the flu season burdens on everyone’s local hospitals.

White House withdraws nomination of Defense official who questioned Ukraine aid freeze

“The White House is withdrawing the nominee for a top Pentagon post, according to two Senate aides, following reports that she questioned the legality of the administration’s efforts to freeze military aid to Ukraine.

Elaine McCusker was nominated late last year to be the Pentagon’s comptroller. She has been the acting comptroller since the summer and was the public face of the Pentagon’s budget rollout last month, briefing reporters on the details of the Defense Department’s $741 billion military spending request.

One of the Senate aides told POLITICO the chamber received the withdrawal of McCusker’s nomination on Monday.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: Periodic reminder that you shall not disagree with Mango Mussolini.

Federal judge orders Hillary Clinton deposition to address private emails: ‘Still more to learn’

A federal judge Monday granted a request from conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch to have former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sit for a sworn deposition to answer questions about her use of a private email server to conduct government business.

Clinton has argued that she has already answered questions about this and should not have to do so again — the matter did not result in any charges for the then-presidential candidate in 2016 after a high-profile investigation — but D.C. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth said in his ruling that her past responses left much to be desired.

“As extensive as the existing record is, it does not sufficiently explain Secretary Clinton’s state of mind when she decided it would be an acceptable practice to set up and use a private server to conduct State Department business,” Lamberth said.

The judge went on to recognize that while Clinton responded to written questions in a separate case, “those responses were either incomplete, unhelpful, or cursory at best. Simply put her responses left many more questions than answers.” Lamberth said that using written questions this time “will only muddle any understanding of Secretary Clinton’s state of mind and fail to capture the full picture, thus delaying the final disposition of this case even further.” via Fox News

Angry’s Thoughts: This is absolutely ridiculous. This has been litigated about a million times already, and another deposition is going to do exactly nothing to change the facts. There are also senior advisors in the White House using private email to conduct government business *right now*

Democrats embrace Biden as Sanders hopes for a big Super Tuesday delegate haul

“A parade of establishment Democrats began coalescing around Joe Biden on Monday, an attempt to bolster the former vice president and stall Sen. Bernie Sanders’s ascent as voters in 14 states prepared to cast ballots Tuesday, the most consequential day of the presidential nominating contest.

On a day with cascading developments that rapidly recast the presidential race, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) dropped out and made plans to join Biden at his rally in Dallas on Monday night. In a visual symbol of Biden’s attempts to consolidate the moderates in the party, former South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg — who dropped out Sunday night, and who had an intensely frosty relationship with Klobuchar — also scrambled to get to Texas and endorse Biden.

“We need a politics that’s about decency, a politics that brings back dignity,” Buttigieg said at a restaurant in Dallas, ahead of the rally where Klobuchar was scheduled to endorse. “That’s what Joe Biden has been practicing his entire life.”

It was the second straight day that moderates, previously paralyzed over whom to endorse, rushed to join Biden’s campaign. Harry M. Reid, a former Senate majority leader from Nevada, endorsed Biden along with other Democrats including Susan E. Rice, a former national security adviser to President Barack Obama; political activist and actress Alyssa Milano; Victoria Reggie Kennedy, the widow of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.); and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.).

Beto O’Rourke, the former Texas congressman who ended his presidential bid in November, was also scheduled to endorse Biden on Monday night in Dallas.” via The Washington Post

Angry’s Thoughts: Some people are legitimately upset that the Democrats are coalescing around a <checks notes>… Democrat. I’ve said repeatedly that I’ll vote for Bernie if he gets the nod, but the amount of people who seem to think he’s entitled to it before we’ve even made it to Super Tuesday is kind of disturbing.

Cuccinelli refuses to leave DHS after judge finds he was illegally appointed to his prior role there

“Ken Cuccinelli said he will not leave his post as acting deputy secretary at the Department of Homeland Security following a federal judge’s ruling that he was illegally appointed to lead a department agency, a position that helped qualify him for his current role.

“The succession for the deputy secretary of homeland security ties back to my official position as the principal deputy at USCIS [U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services], there’s not a problem with me at my current position,” Cuccinelli said on Fox and Friends Monday after initially laughing at the news. “The only issue in the case is related to being the acting director at USCIS. And this ruling is really something of an outlier. This is a methodology that has been used in the past. It’s been thought of as legal as — pretty broadly.”

A federal district court judge in Washington, D.C., ruled that Cuccinelli, who was acting director of the 19,000-person USCIS from last June until January, did not meet the requirements in the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 to have the job. The judge’s decision deemed Cuccinelli’s policy changes invalid, teeing up new legal troubles for the Trump administration.” via The Washington Examiner

Angry’s Thoughts: I remember the outrage when Cuccinelli was declared acting director, partially because he’s a *terrible* person, and partially because it was an illegal appointment.

I can’t say that I’m surprised that he doesn’t give a damn about the judge’s order, though.

Supreme Court’s Obamacare review cheers Democrats with election year health-care focus

“The Supreme Court on Monday said it will review the latest Republican efforts to doom the Affordable Care Act, guaranteeing that partisan battles over health care will remain at the forefront of public debate in the closing weeks of the presidential campaign.

The justices will review a federal appeals court decision that found part of the law, also known as Obamacare, unconstitutional and raised questions about whether the law in its entirety must fall. The Trump administration agreed with the lower court’s decision but said it was premature for the court to join the legal fight now.

Democrats seemed delighted that the court had decided to ignore that advice. They said the focus on health care will help their candidates, as polls show it did in 2018 when Democrats won back the House majority, and increase the importance of the Supreme Court with their voters.

“Today’s Supreme Court announcement ensures health care will remain front and center throughout 2020 and that House Republicans won’t be able to hide from their long history of attacking Americans with preexisting conditions,” said Robyn Patterson of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.” via The Washington Post

Angry’s Thoughts: That’s going to make for some really interesting ads going into November.

“This administration is in court RIGHT NOW trying to take away your healthcare”

Yikes.

Ron Johnson threatens subpoena over Hunter Biden’s Ukraine work

“A key senator is threatening to issue a subpoena for records related to former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter and his work for a Ukrainian energy firm — the most significant escalation yet in an investigation that has divided Senate Republicans.

In a letter obtained by POLITICO, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) told members of the panel that he will soon schedule a business meeting to vote on a subpoena for the documents, which are purportedly related to Hunter Biden’s role on the board of the Ukrainian firm, Burisma.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: In case you were wondering, there were *zero* mentions of Burisma when Bernie was the presumed front-runner. Now that Biden is racking up endorsements, it’s suddenly very important again.

Kinda like that phantom caravan that never made it to the United States, I guess.

Maybe Ron Johnson can just stay in Moscow the next time he goes.

MSNBC’s Chris Matthews quits

Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC’s “Hardball,” stepped down Monday night after facing growing criticism over inappropriate comments he made to women and some of his on-air remarks.

He opened his 7 p.m. broadcast seriously: “Let me start with my headline tonight: I’m retiring. This is the last “Hardball” on MSNBC, and obviously this isn’t for a lack of interest in politics.”

Matthews, 74, has hosted the cable news show for more than 20 years. But recently, he has come under fire for a series of statements, such as comparing the campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders — a Jewish candidate who has lost extended family members in the Holocaust — to the Nazi invasion of France.

Matthews was also criticized for having a condescending tone in an interview with Sen. Elizabeth Warren over 2020 rival Mike Bloomberg’s nondisclosure agreements. And the Hardball host confused his guest Jaime Harrison, an African American candidate for U.S. Senate, with Republican Sen. Tim Scott, a fellow South Carolina pol who is also black.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: Trying to feel bad for Matthews. Give me a second.

Nope. I got nothing. Him not being on MSNBC will be good for MSNBC.

Economy Faces a Coronavirus Challenge as Markets Swoon

“As an uptick in the number of coronavirus infections outside China sent markets swooning on Monday, attention quickly turned to how the Federal Reserve and the United States government would assess — and even address — the economic fallout.

The Fed cut interest rates three times in 2019 to insulate the economy against uncertainty stemming from President Trump’s trade war and slowing global growth. Central bank officials have been clear that they expect to leave interest rates unchanged now unless inflation jumps — potentially causing them to lift rates — or risks upend their outlook for stable growth, prompting them to cut.

The question now is whether the new coronavirus represents such a threat. Fed officials have been unwilling to declare it a reason to move yet. But even as they strike a wait-and-see pose, markets are increasingly betting that global economic and market fallout from the disease will push the central bank to lower borrowing costs.” via NYT

Angry’s Thoughts: This was day one of the coronavirus plunge… it didn’t get any better on day 2.

Harvey Weinstein Is Found Guilty of Sex Crimes in #MeToo Watershed

“Harvey Weinstein, the powerhouse film producer whose downfall over sexual misconduct ignited a global movement, was found guilty of two felony sex crimes after a trial in which six women testified that he had sexually assaulted them.

The jury found Mr. Weinstein guilty of rape and criminal sexual act but acquitted him of three other counts, including the two most serious charges against him — that he is a sexual predator.

Mr. Weinstein displayed little emotion as the verdict was read. He appeared stunned as he was handcuffed and led out of court, limping between two court officers on his way to jail to await sentencing. He faces a possible sentence of between five and 25 years.

The verdict offered a measure of justice to the dozens of women who had come forward with similar allegations against Mr. Weinstein. For many, the trial was a watershed moment for the #MeToo movement and a crucial test in the effort to hold influential men accountable for sexual harassment in the workplace.” via NYT

Angry’s Thoughts: Weinstein was also taken to the hospital with “chest pains” on his way to jail. I hope it was minor – I would hate to see his jail sentence cut short by a myocardial infarction.

The FBI Is Investigating Massive Embezzlement of Border Patrol Union Funds

The FBI is investigating the disappearance of some $500,000 from the coffers of the powerful union representing the country’s roughly 20,000 Border Patrol agents, said the organization’s national president, Brandon Judd.

Judd said the probe is focused on identifying the individuals responsible for siphoning the money from the bank accounts of the union’s El Paso branch in recent years.

“We know the FBI is looking at it,” said Judd, head of the National Border Patrol Council, which has forged a close alliance with President Donald Trump.

Under the Trump administration, the Border Patrol, a once obscure federal agency, has been thrust into the center of a rancorous debate over immigration policy, facing intense criticism over the squalid conditions in the agency’s overcrowded detention facilities, a string of migrant deaths and revelations that some 9,500 current and former agents were part of a private Facebook group that included vulgar and misogynistic content.” via ProPublica

Angry’s Thoughts: Of course this would happen to Trump’s new favorite agency.

To be clear, there’s no evidence that Trump is involved in this in any way – it’s just fitting.

Bloomberg’s debate strategy: Nuke Bernie

“Mike Bloomberg and a handful of staffers spent Monday at the so-called “happiest place on earth,” preparing for the bruising task ahead the next day.

Hunkered down at the Four Seasons hotel in Florida’s Disney World, the former New York mayor prepared for a mission to salvage his half-billion-dollar investment in the presidential race with a debate performance designed to quiet the critics and stall frontrunner Bernie Sanders’ momentum.

After a disastrous first outing — his net favorability rating dropped 20 points in the aftermath, according to Morning Consult — Bloomberg’s debategoals in the Charleston, S.C., debate are twofold: Persuade viewers that Sanders is too divisive to defeat President Donald Trump in November, while sidestepping landmines surrounding complaints from women at his private media company and his race-based policing practices as mayor.

“The debate tomorrow night and the campaign in general … needs to be about one candidate and that’s Bernie Sanders,” Dan Kanninen, a top strategist overseeing Bloomberg’s states operation, said in a conference call with reporters Monday morning. “We’ve been saying for some time that the nature of this contest means someone with even a small plurality of delegates can come away with an outsize and disproportionate delegate lead.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: Well, the debate is over now and *everyone* went after Bernie. It’s unclear how well that strategy is going to work nationwide, but the crowd at the debate certainly wasn’t very fond of some of Bernie’s answers.

Without Evidence, Trump Accuses Schiff of Leaking Intelligence on Russia’s 2020 Interference

President Trump on Tuesday accused the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee of leaking information about Russia’s efforts to interfere in the 2020 election, dismissed the intelligence as “exaggerated” and refused to acknowledge that Moscow was behind similar efforts in 2016.

“I can’t imagine that people are not going to go after them and find out what’s happening,” Mr. Trump said, referring to the committee, led by Representative Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California, a longtime foil of the president’s.

Mr. Trump also said that he did not plan on saying anything controversial during the news conference at the end of his visit to India.

When details about the persistence of Russia’s efforts related to 2020 were revealed last week, including new information about Moscow’s efforts to influence the Democratic primaries, Mr. Trump was particularly bothered that officials would tell Mr. Schiff, who led the impeachment efforts against the president and is entitled to these briefings as part of his oversight role.” via NYT

Angry’s Thoughts: Pretty standard Trump playbook here – accuse everyone else of doing what you do. He leaks to his friends and to the media *constantly*

For what it’s worth, there’s absolutely no proof that leak came from Adam Schiff – Trump is just terrified of him and likes to keep his minions riled up.

Dow closes down nearly 900 points as coronavirus fears rise

“The stock rout continued Tuesday as diving bond yields raised more concern that the global economy is slowing significantly because of the spreading coronavirus. The 10-year Treasury yield hit a record low as the Dow Jones Industrial Average added to Monday’s 1,000-point drop.

Comments from health officials warning of a possible outbreak in the U.S. also spooked investors, causing a turnaround in stocks, which had opened the day higher.

The Dow closed down 879 points, or 3.1%, at 27,081 after being up more than 180 points at one point shortly after the open. The S&P 500 slid 3% to 3,128, while the Nasdaq fell 2.8% to 8,965.” via CNBC

Angry’s Thoughts: Day two of the Dow drop wasn’t any better – we went from a all-time high to the biggest two-day drop in two years. Trump is furious that the coronavirus is hurting the stock market, but other than that, he is woefully uninformed about how dangerous of a situation this is.

Judge in Roger Stone Case Warns About Attacks on Juror From Trump and Others

“The federal judge overseeing the criminal case against Roger J. Stone Jr. warned on Tuesday about attacks by President Trump and others on a juror in the trial, saying that fomenting public anger about the guilty verdict could prompt someone to “soon take it out on them personally.”

The comments by United States District Judge Amy Jackson Berman came during a hearing on an argument by Mr. Stone’s lawyers that misconduct by a juror required a new trial.

Even as the hearing was proceeding, Mr. Trump weighed in again on the case, once more ignoring Attorney General William P. Barr’s explicit request earlier this month that he stop commenting on the department’s criminal cases.” via NYT

Angry’s Thoughts: It’s absolutely pathetic that a judge even has to issue this warning, much less have it directed at the President of the United States, but here we are. Trump has sent a minimum of four Tweets about the Roger stone case in the last two days.

Senate GOP again thwarted on bills to restrict abortion

“Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked a pair of Republican bills that would ban most late-term abortions and threaten prison for doctors who don’t try saving the life of infants born alive during abortions.

The measures have been defeated multiple times in recent years, but Senate Republicans pushed for renewed votes to allow GOP lawmakers to make an election-year appeal to conservative voters.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell accused Democrats of bowing to “the radical demands of the far left” to “drown out common sense” and the views of millions of Americans.” via AP

Angry’s Thoughts: The nation is facing a potential pandemic and the Republicans are still worried about how to take away women’s reproductive rights.

Trump tightens his grip on intelligence

“President Donald Trump is tightening his grip on the intelligence community as part of a post-acquittal purge of career officials and political appointees deemed insufficiently loyal, and the abrupt firing of his last intel chief is only the tip of the iceberg, current and former intelligence officials say.

Trump’s decision to replace acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire with a loyalist with no intelligence experience, Ric Grenell, shocked the national security world and has raised questions about who the president will nominate to serve in the post after Grenell’s “acting” status expires next month. In India, Trump hinted that his decision would come soon.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: We have a potential pandemic coming to our shores, and this is still the most dangerous story of the day.

U.S., South Korea postpone annual military drills due to coronavirus

“The South Korean and U.S. militaries have postponed their annual joint drills out of concerns over a virus outbreak.

Thursday’s announcement came after South Korea reported 21 cases of a new coronavirus in its military and the U.S. military reported one case among its 28,500 troops in South Korea.

The announcement was jointly made by South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff and the U.S. military in South Korea.

Kim Jun-rak, a spokesman at the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the allies will put off their drills in the first half of this year until further notice.

Kim said JCS chief Park Han-ki first proposed putting off the drills out of concerns of safety of South Korean and U.S. troops.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: People don’t often associate illnesses with military readiness, but if this becomes a global pandemic, that is another obvious problem we will have to address. We have to get this right the first time.

Thankfully we have completely sane and responsible people at the helm.

…crap.

Coronavirus in California: C.D.C. Confirms Possible Community Transmission Case

“A person in California who was not exposed to anyone known to be infected with the coronavirus, and had not traveled to countries in which the virus is circulating, has tested positive for the infection.

It may be the first case of community spread in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday.

“At this point, the patient’s exposure is unknown,” the C.D.C. statement said. “The case was detected through the U.S. public health system and picked up by astute clinicians.”

The case was announced shortly after President Trump concluded a news briefing in which he said that aggressive public health containment measures and travel entry restrictions had successfully limited the spread of coronavirus in the United States.

Until now, public health officials have been able to trace all of the infections in the country to a recent trip abroad or a known patient, and to identify the sources of exposure.

Though C.D.C. officials said it was possible the patient was exposed to a returning traveler who was infected, the new case appears to be one of community spread — one in which the source of infection is unknown.

“The thing that would immediately make all of us uneasy is if this person has no direct contact with someone who comes from an affected country,” said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University.

“That would suggest there are other undetected cases out there, and we have already started some low-grade transmission.” via NYT

Angry’s Thoughts: I hate to make this the coronavirus news dump, but the administration isn’t taking this near seriously enough, so I want to make sure that I do my part to help make sure people are informed and prepared.

Trump: Roger Stone has ‘very good chance of exoneration’ but will ‘let the process play out’

“President Donald Trump on Thursday strongly hinted that Roger Stone would not end up serving the 40-month prison sentence handed down by a federal judge, saying his former longtime political adviser “has a very good chance of exoneration.”

But while Trump railed against the Justice Department during a prison graduation ceremony in Las Vegas, he added that he would not grant the convicted GOP operative a pardon at the moment because he wanted to “let the process play out,” an apparent allusion to Stone’s petition for a new trial.

Hours earlier, Stone had been sentenced to more than three years in prison on charges of lying to investigators, obstructing Congress and witness intimidation, immediately raising questions about whether the president will pardon his former confidant for what he’s decried as a miscarriage of justice.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: Trump has been advised multiple times to stop talking about Roger Stone and his court case, so naturally, he takes every available opportunity to talk about Roger Stone and his court case.

Roger Stone juror Seth Cousins defends forewoman Tomeka Hart after Trump’s claim of ‘significant bias’

“A former juror in the trial of Roger Stone, a longtime associate of President Donald Trump, defended the forewoman whom the president accused of “significant bias” that influenced the guilty verdict. 

Juror Seth Cousins told CNN on Wednesday night, “The irony here is that Tomeka Hart, who we elected as our foreperson on a secret ballot,” was “perhaps the strongest advocate in the room for a rigorous process, for the rights of the defendant and for making sure that we took it seriously and looked at each charge.” 

Stone, who awaits sentencing Thursday, was convicted in November of lying to Congress, obstructing the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and threatening a potential witness. His lawyers requested a new trial in light of Hart’s social media posts that were critical of Trump.” via USA Today

Angry’s Thoughts: Trump could never possibly understand someone doing something that wouldn’t directly benefit themselves, so naturally he’s incapable of understanding that normal people can separate their personal feelings with their actual duty still be impartial jurors.

Russia Backs Trump’s Re-election, and He Fears Democrats Will Exploit Its Support

“Intelligence officials warned House lawmakers last week that Russia was interfering in the 2020 campaign to try to get President Trump re-elected, five people familiar with the matter said, a disclosure to Congress that angered Mr. Trump, who complained that Democrats would use it against him.

The day after the Feb. 13 briefing to lawmakers, Mr. Trump berated Joseph Maguire, the outgoing acting director of national intelligence, for allowing it to take place, people familiar with the exchange said. Mr. Trump cited the presence in the briefing of Representative Adam B. Schiff, the California Democrat who led the impeachment proceedings against him, as a particular irritant.

During the briefing to the House Intelligence Committee, Mr. Trump’s allies challenged the conclusions, arguing that he has been tough on Russia and strengthened European security. Some intelligence officials viewed the briefing as a tactical error, saying that had the official who delivered the conclusion spoken less pointedly or left it out, they would have avoided angering the Republicans.” via NYT

Angry’s Thoughts: Arguing that Trump has strengthened European security might be the most asinine thing I’ve ever seen; he’s stretched NATO to the brink. Our allies have *never* been less sure of our intentions, which inherently makes them – and the world – less safe.

On the rest of this, there are varying reports that discuss the conclusiveness of this intel – that’s to be expected, partially because intel often lacks specificity, and partially because that’s Russia’s goal: they want to sow discord and they want *everyone* to feel like the system is working against them. So far, they’re doing a pretty damn good job of it. We have to quit falling for it.

It’s obvious that they want Trump to be re-elected, though. You don’t even need to see the underlying intel to know that’s the case.

Sotomayor’s Scathing ‘Public Charge’ Dissent Lights Up Twitter

Justice Sonia Sotomayor lit up Twitter after issuing a dissent against the Supreme Court’s 5-4 vote to allow an immigrant wealth test — designed to weed out green card applicants deemed likely to need public assistance — to go into effect.

The Illinois rule says immigrants who are “likely at any time to become a public charge” because they may in the future need benefits such as food stamps, Medicaid or housing assistance may be turned away. It followed a ruling on Jan. 27 that was already poised to take effect in 49 states.

Sotomayor, who joined fellow liberal Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan in the minority, argued that cases have repeatedly been rushed to the Supreme Court without being “ventilated fully in the lower courts.”

She went as far as to say that the practice is “putting a thumb on the scale in favor” of the party that won a stay — a pointed dig at the Trump administration and her conservative colleagues.

“Claiming one emergency after another, the Government has recently sought stays in an unprecedented number of cases, demanding immediate attention and consuming limited court resources in each,” Sotomayor wrote. “And with each successive application, of course, its cries of urgency ring increasingly hollow.” via Bloomberg

Angry’s Thoughts: If you didn’t read this full dissent, you should. There aren’t enough flame emojis to go around.

‘They like Bernie’: Biden says Russia working to prevent him from getting nomination

“Former Vice President Joe Biden said Sunday that Russians have worked to block him from winning the Democratic nomination while favoring Sen. Bernie Sanders, though he admitted his claims were not based on anything he had been told by intelligence officials. 

“The Russians don’t want me to be the nominee,” Biden said on CBS News‘ “Face the Nation,” later adding, “they like Bernie. 

Biden made the comment after being asked about Sanders’ momentum in the Democratic primary race to determine who will take on President Donald Trump in November. 

After leading in virtually every poll on the national race for his party’s nomination for most of 2019, Biden has fallen behind Sanders in most recent polls. And Sanders has won two of the first three primary contests, while Biden has yet to win a state and performed below expectations in Iowa and New Hampshire.” via USA Today

Angry’s Thoughts: Most of you know I like Biden. Most of you know that I’m not a huge fan of Bernie. With that being said, this isn’t helpful from Biden. Bernie isn’t a Russian stooge – the Kremlin is backing Bernie because they’ve calculated a Bernie nomination will have two effects: 1. It would shake the Democratic establishment to their core. 2. On paper, it’s the easiest path to a Trump re-election.

The Democrats have to find a way to come together in opposition of Trump rather than dragging out a bloody primary that leaves the party wounded and limping into November.

White House to ask Congress for emergency coronavirus funding

The White House will soon ask Congress for emergency funds to fight the coronavirus outbreak, after weeks of hesitation by the administration to press for additional funding, said four individuals with knowledge of the pending request.

However, the amount could be significantly lower than some public health officials have argued is necessary — potentially as little as $1 billion, said two individuals, which could be rapidly exhausted by development of potential vaccines, widespread lab tests and numerous other investments.

A White House official told POLITICO that the pending request is still preliminary and the sum could change. A congressional aide said that lawmakers have been told to expect the request in the coming days.

The outbreak, which began about three months ago and has spread to 28 countries, has sickened more than 75,000 people in China and killed more than 2,200 there. While there are about three dozen confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States, almost two-thirds are citizens who were flown home after contracting the virus abroad, including 18 who were evacuated from a cruise ship last week.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: Fun fact. There was a position called the Senior Director of Global Health Security that worked at NSC for this exact reason. Trump eliminated it.

This is the first real crisis not of his own making, and he is woefully unprepared for it.

Not to be alarmist, but this is getting pretty scary. We’re up to nearly 3,000 deaths worldwide. Cases in Italy jumped from 3 to 152 over the weekend, and South Korea is facing at least 760 cases. It’s obvious that the quarantine strategy isn’t doing a great job, and it’s hard to see how we contain it from this point.

The United States has *so far* done a good job limiting the spread in the mainland, but with the way it’s spreading globally, I don’t know how long that can continue.

Judge won’t bow out of Roger Stone case

“The federal judge who sentenced President Donald Trump’s longtime adviser Roger Stone to more than three years in prison last week has decisively rejected a defense request that she drop off the case before ruling on a pending new trial motion challenging the conduct of a juror at his trial.

U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson’s sharply worded order also dressed down Stone’s defense team for using the court’s docket to air what she said were meritless claims that she is biased against him.

“At bottom, given the absence of any factual or legal support for the motion for disqualification, the pleading appears to be nothing more than an attempt to use the Court’s docket to disseminate a statement for public consumption that has the words ‘judge’ and ‘biased’ in it,” Jackson wrote Sunday.

In recent days, Trump has used Twitter to suggest that Jackson is biased and has used social media and public speeches to endorse claims by Stone’s allies that the jury foreperson harbored antipathy to him.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: Judge Jackson has a reputation for being both incredibly fierce, and extraordinarily fair. The facts are that Roger Stone has made a mockery of the process from the beginning, and he’s lucky that she didn’t give him more time than she did.