Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Acidbaron]

Maybe this is just the glass half-empty perspective, but I think Trump getting it and recovering from it would actually be one of the worst things that could possibly happen. I'm already positive that Trump is going to attempt to sell himself as the "President Who Defeated Covid-19" as we get closer to November, regardless of what state the country is in at that point, but that title gains a modicum of truth (to his followers, anyway) if he manages to contract the virus and recover from it.

Worse, he may downplay the symptoms he suffered (if he suffers at all, given that he'll immediately have access to some of the best healthcare in the country) and insist that since he had it and it "wasn't that bad", that it's not actually the big deal that the "fake news" is making it out to be, and that the country should go back to "normal".

Bolsonaro is doing that right now so you have a point, although he appears to be running around with a bad cough so it could very well end up being something that might backfire.

[arandomuser]

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings...-meeting-elbe/

do you think if president bernie sanders did a joint statement praising a communist nation with a foreign leader who commits cyber attacks on us on a daily basis, including taking hacked intelligence from that nation for their election campaign- that fox news would give him a free pass?

[Breccia]

This Atlantic Article raises three interesting points about McConnell.

1) He doesn't represent Kentucky in anything other than name.

The biggest contributor to Mitch McConnell’s 2020 campaign and leadership committee is a PAC headquartered in Englewood, New Jersey. The second is a conduit for funds from real-estate investors. The third is the tobacco company Altria. The fourth is the parcel delivery service UPS. The fifth is the Eli Lilly pharmaceutical corporation. The sixth is the home health-care company, LHC Group. The seventh is the Blackstone hedge fund. And so on and on.

2) He's not first up to bat.

State bankruptcy is not some passing fancy. Republicans have been advancing the idea for more than a decade. Back in 2011, Jeb Bush and Newt Gingrich published a jointly bylined op-ed advocating state bankruptcy as a solution for the state of California. The Tea Party Congress elected in 2010 explored the idea of state bankruptcy in House hearings and Senate debates. Newt Gingrich promoted it in his run for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

3) There's a good reason why McConnell wants states to go bankrupt.

(the whole rest of the article)

I'll sum up as best I can. Why can't states go bankrupt? Because bankruptcy is a federal process in which a federal judge decides which debts must be paid and how. The Constitution does not grant the federal government this power over states, in the same way that anything not specifically given to the federal government is given to the states.

It's also no secret that, while donor states are primarily Democrat and recipient states are primarily Republican (not exactly new info around these forums), most states do owe a good deal of money -- just like the federal government does. The federal judiciary, however, has recently been stacked with Republican judges.

And this is where it becomes a hostage situation. A Democratic state will have to be more careful about its budget in the future, likely cutting services, or risk going before a Republican judge who would say "you have to pay your bond holders before your pensioners".

Like Trump's coronavirus excuse for his immigration ban, McConnell's state bankruptcy coronavirus excuse was never really the point. The point was to put permanent wetchdogs over Democrat states, long after he and the Party of Trump are removed from power.

- - - Updated - - -

do you think if president bernie sanders did a joint statement praising a communist nation with a foreign leader who commits cyber attacks on us on a daily basis, including taking hacked intelligence from that nation for their election campaign- that fox news would give him a free pass?

Sorry, is "the meeting on the Elbe" another way of saying "Russia owns Ukraine"? Because I seem to remember Trump saying he would have stopped it and suggesting he was going to do something about it. Standing side-by-side on a virtual podium wasn't what he told his rabid fanbase he'd do.

[arandomuser]

[
Sorry, is "the meeting on the Elbe" another way of saying "Russia owns Ukraine"? Because I seem to remember Trump saying he would have stopped it and suggesting he was going to do something about it. Standing side-by-side on a virtual podium wasn't what he told his rabid fanbase he'd do.

Basically seems like it, since the regiment was ukranians not russians, this is clearly a signal to zelensky he is displeased about the lack of biden investigations, and hes willing to side with the country that opressed them for decades... i just cant over how many sacred cows of republicanism trump has slaughtered and every GOP senator has went along with it ( except romney hes been very good on sticking to his principles)

[Breccia]

Basically seems like it, since the regiment was ukranians not russians, this is clearly a signal to zelensky he is displeased about the lack of biden investigations, and hes willing to side with the country that opressed them for decades... i just cant over how many sacred cows of republicanism trump has slaughtered and every GOP senator has went along with it ( except romney hes been very good on sticking to his principles)

Pfft. You sound just like the Wall Street Journal.

Those familiar with the statement's drafting said that its issuance is symbolic, noting that the intent is to prove to the public that the nations can "put aside their differences," according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.

"The 'Spirit of the Elbe' is an example of how our countries can put aside differences, build trust, and cooperate in pursuit of a greater cause," it reads, according to the Journal.

Such statements are rare, with the last one occurring in 2010 between former President Obama and then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

According to the Journal, the decision to issue the statement was controversial among Trump administration officials at the Pentagon and State Department, many of whom have been skeptical of Moscow's intentions and complained about Russia with regard to several issues.

The officials pointed to Russia's intervention in Ukraine and its aid to Syrian President Bashar Assad for his offensive in the country's Idlib province.

The U.S. also charges that Russia has spread disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic and interfered in U.S. campaigns.

Lawmakers and congressional aides also expressed concern that this statement would undo the stern messages the U.S. has sent to Moscow, according to people familiar with the situation, the Journal reported.

One former U.S. government official claimed that the statement was a Russian initiative.

“I am sure this was a Russian initiative,” Angela Stent, a former U.S. intelligence analyst and author of “Putin’s World,” told the Journal. “Putin wants validation from the United States that today’s Russia like the Soviet Union is a great power.”

Looks like Putin still has Trump right where he wants him.

[Paranoid Android]

This Atlantic Article raises three interesting points about McConnell.

1) He doesn't represent Kentucky in anything other than name.



2) He's not first up to bat.



3) There's a good reason why McConnell wants states to go bankrupt.



I'll sum up as best I can. Why can't states go bankrupt? Because bankruptcy is a federal process in which a federal judge decides which debts must be paid and how. The Constitution does not grant the federal government this power over states, in the same way that anything not specifically given to the federal government is given to the states.

It's also no secret that, while donor states are primarily Democrat and recipient states are primarily Republican (not exactly new info around these forums), most states do owe a good deal of money -- just like the federal government does. The federal judiciary, however, has recently been stacked with Republican judges.

And this is where it becomes a hostage situation. A Democratic state will have to be more careful about its budget in the future, likely cutting services, or risk going before a Republican judge who would say "you have to pay your bond holders before your pensioners".

Like Trump's coronavirus excuse for his immigration ban, McConnell's state bankruptcy coronavirus excuse was never really the point. The point was to put permanent wetchdogs over Democrat states, long after he and the Party of Trump are removed from power.

- - - Updated - - -



Sorry, is "the meeting on the Elbe" another way of saying "Russia owns Ukraine"? Because I seem to remember Trump saying he would have stopped it and suggesting he was going to do something about it. Standing side-by-side on a virtual podium wasn't what he told his rabid fanbase he'd do.

McConnell is the most evil MFer around. If his wife was dying he would try to find some way to screw Dems. Actually Republican voters also, but he doesn't care.

Once more I swear on anything if this is not a political attack ad used in Senate races, idk what is.

[ohtlmtlm]

Basically seems like it, since the regiment was ukranians not russians, this is clearly a signal to zelensky he is displeased about the lack of biden investigations, and hes willing to side with the country that opressed them for decades... i just cant over how many sacred cows of republicanism trump has slaughtered and every GOP senator has went along with it ( except romney hes been very good on sticking to his principles)

and he would not be re-elected in any other state than the Mormon bastion that is Utah. They're with him before Trump it seems.

[arandomuser]

https://thehill.com/homenews/adminis...ng-term-report

looks like trumps legal immigration ban is permanent

now watch the transformation of the " i support immigration just legal immigration" people to now support trumps permanent legal immigration hiatus

[Levelfive]

There have been so many conflicting stories about who and why and even, sometimes, whether the feds are commandeering supplies, and who they actually end up going to, and for how much, so here's another:

FEMA Diverted Masks From Veterans Hospitals, VA Official Says

By Matt Shuham
|
April 25, 2020 5:00 p.m.

"The Federal Emergency Management Agency diverted masks from veterans hospitals and into the government’s emergency stockpile, the executive in charge of the Department of Veterans Affairs claimed Saturday.

Health care workers at VA hospitals have for weeks warned of severely inadequate stocks of personal protective equipment. And in an interview with The Washington Post, the VA’s Executive in Charge Richard Stone pointed the finger at FEMA.

The agency, Stone told the Post, had directed vendors with VA orders to instead send equipment to FEMA for the federal stockpile of such supplies.

“I had 5 million masks incoming that disappeared,” Stone told the Post. Some VA hospitals, Stone acknowledged, are now on “austerity levels.”

“The supply system was responding to FEMA,” Stone added. “I couldn’t tell you when my next delivery was coming in.”

FEMA wouldn’t confirm the allegation to the Post, and the agency didn’t have an answer for TPM at press time.

FEMA did tell the Post that following a request from VA Secretary Robert Wilkie, FEMA sent the VA 500,000 masks this week. But Stone told the Post that the VA system is using about 200,000 masks a day.

FEMA has redistributed supplies relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic pursuant to the Korean War-era Defense Production Act, which allows the federal government to dictate private supply chains.

Federal prosecutors on Friday brought their first DPA-related case during the COVID-19 pandemic against a Long Island man accused of price-gouging and hoarding supplies. Still, some shipments face scrutiny from the feds but are ultimately not seized."

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/f...-official-says

[Breccia]

Two quick things:

1) As hinted at least time, Trump missed the press briefing at which all he did was lie, attack the press, and remind the American people that he put Pence in charge but still wanted all the glory.

Maybe he'll just scream and throw Cheetos at the TV when a reporter asks a question he thinks is unfair like "what is your plan?"

2) Someone tell the Fat Lady she's on in five. HHS Sec Azar is likely about to be fired for daring to contradict Trump with facts and evidence, sources tell the WSJ.

[Masark]

A Labradoodle breeder, an internet thug and a college senior walk into the White House

A former Labradoodle breeder, an internet thug and a college senior walk into the White House.

This may sound like the set-up of a joke. During the pandemic, however, with the US death toll passing 50,000, these actual administration officials are a grim reminder that we shouldn't expect much from the Trump administration.

Any remaining hope of competency within the Trump administration may have been dashed on Thursday when President Donald Trump mused about using sunlight or injections of disinfectant as Covid-19 treatments (DO NOT DO THIS).

While Dr. Deborah Birx, the coronavirus response coordinator, did shoot down Trump's bizarre ideas during the news conference, other members of the Trump team have not inspired much confidence.

Brian Harrison, who serves as the chief of staff to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, was tasked with handling the department's virus response in January.

Before joining the Trump administration in January 2018, however, he spent six years as top dog at Dallas Labradoodles, according to personal financial disclosure forms cited by Reuters. The company sells the crossbreed dogs at $2,700 a pop (Harrison sold the company three months after he joined the administration, according to the financial disclosure form cited by Reuters).

To be fair, Harrison previously worked in the office of the deputy HHS secretary in the George W. Bush administration and has held positions at other federal agencies such as the Social Security Administration, according to the HHS website. But his background in public health is limited, having studied economics at Texas A&M University.

Reuters reported that Harrison recommended excluding Stephen Hahn, head of the Food and Drug Administration, from the coronavirus task force when it was assembled in January. (HHS has denied that the recommendation came from Harrison).

Hahn's FDA oversaw the approval of coronavirus test kits from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other test developers. Given that testing has been a major problem since the onset of the pandemic, the involvement of Hahn, who was added to the pandemic task force in February once Vice President Mike Pence took over, was and is key.

There's also Michael Caputo, who is the new spokesman at the Department of Health and Human Services. No one familiar with Caputo would say he has trouble getting his point across. That's not in doubt. What is troubling is the character, temperament and judgment revealed in what he says.

As CNN's K-files unit revealed, Caputo recently scrubbed more than 1,000 tweets and retweets, including racist comments about Chinese people, from his Twitter account.

On March 12, Caputo responded to a baseless conspiracy theory making the rounds that the United States brought the coronavirus to China. He retorted by tweeting that "millions of Chinese suck the blood out of rabid bats as an appetizer and eat the ass out of anteaters."

He responded to CNN's request for comment by saying, "fair game, dude. I don't care. It doesn't matter to me at all." Caputo went on to say that he regularly deletes his tweets "because it drives people mad" and defended his past Twitter behavior by saying he was a "defender of the President."

In addition to the gross factual distortions and derogatory comments, Caputo's tweets reveal a mind that produces vile content. This is not a one-off mistake.

In this time of national grief, he used his time and talents to accuse others of reveling in the thousands of deaths and economic impact of the pandemic, claiming in a now-deleted tweet that Democrats, along with those in the media, "hate Trump more than they love America."

Add to that Caputo's postings that include anti-Semitic tropes, and you get the sense that someone would have to make a real effort to be less qualified for the task of providing trustworthy information to a country in crisis than Caputo.

Unfortunately, the Trump administration has proved again and again that qualifications are not an essential consideration when it comes to hiring.

That college senior mentioned in my opening paragraph?

He's James Bacon, director of operations for the Presidential Personnel Office, headed by John McIntee, whose main purpose appears to be planting loyalists throughout the government. One former White House official told Politico that Bacon's loyalty outweighed his relative lack of experience, saying, "He will do a great job because he has trust with POTUS."

When I interviewed Trump at length for a biography about five years ago, he explained that he wants to be surrounded by people who put their relationship with him first.

This is why his daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner hold top White House positions, and it's why he's bringing old favorites such as Kayleigh McEnany and Hope Hicks back into his inner circle.

Trump's loyalty fixation also drives him to regard experts and independent thinkers with deep suspicion. Before the pandemic, Trump's obsession with loyalty led to disagreements that played a role in driving away a host of competent figures, including former chief of staff John Kelly, former national security adviser John Bolton and former Secretary of Defense James Mattis.

Whatever one might think of their policy positions, these people had serious and relevant experience and would've likely served the country better than those who came after them.

More recently, Dr. Rick Bright, who oversaw the production and purchase of vaccines as the head of the HHS' Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, said that he was dismissed after clashing with the administration on coronavirus treatments.

In a statement, he said his transfer was owed to his "insistence that the government invest the billions of dollars allocated by Congress ... into safe and scientifically vetted solutions, and not in drugs, vaccines and other technologies that lack scientific merit." (When asked about Bright's claims at Wednesday's news briefing, Trump said, "I never heard of him. The guy says he was pushed out of a job, maybe he was, maybe he wasn't. You'd have to hear the other side.")

The President has been reportedly frustrated with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who is one of the few who dare to correct him while offering the country the best available information. (Trump actually retweeted a Twitter post that included the hashtag #FireFauci.)

He and Birx demonstrate, in their public appearances, the heroic effort that must be made by competent experts to appease the ego of the President so they can keep serving the American people.

Those who work for the President are subject to his loyalty code.

He comes first, no matter the crisis affecting the nation, and the federal team fighting this deadly threat is forced, in many cases, to prioritize loyalty to the President above science.

[Benggaul]

I'm a bit early today since I'm exhausted, but I think most of the numbers are in for the day anyway:

54,265 deaths, 2,065 on the 26th. At this rate it'll be 60k by the middle of the week. Still an upward weekly average trend. Also, 35,419 new cases today, the second highest daily total (behind yesterday's 38k); either testing has been expanded or there are new hot spots popping up, it seems.

At least we won't be adding more numbers to the death total today because someone goes on live television and suggests something MIND-NUMBINGLY STUPID and their MIND-NUMBINGLY STUPID supporters go out and do it.

Also of note: There are currently 788k ACTIVE cases in the US--that we know of. That's a significant number of ongoing infectious cases and that's just the ones that are sick enough--or in the "right" employment--to be tested. There could realistically be several hundred thousand more that are unknown.

This isn't going away anytime soon, and Trump's push to hastily reopen the country is going to contribute to the increase in these numbers as time goes on.

EDIT: Another stat I just came across: There have been, to date, a little over 5 million tests done in the US. Am I misremembering or did I read someone here post a while ago that experts were suggesting we need to be able to test 5 million people PER DAY in order to safely lift restrictions?

Also bear in mind that just because 5 million people have been tested that doesn't mean the ones who were clear before are still clear. It's a test, not a vaccine.

[cubby]

I'm a bit early today since I'm exhausted, but I think most of the numbers are in for the day anyway:

54,265 deaths, 2,065 on the 26th. At this rate it'll be 60k by the middle of the week. Still an upward weekly average trend. Also, 35,419 new cases today, the second highest daily total (behind yesterday's 38k); either testing has been expanded or there are new hot spots popping up, it seems.

At least we won't be adding more numbers to the death total today because someone goes on live television and suggests something MIND-NUMBINGLY STUPID and their MIND-NUMBINGLY STUPID supporters go out and do it.

Also of note: There are currently 788k ACTIVE cases in the US--that we know of. That's a significant number of ongoing infectious cases and that's just the ones that are sick enough--or in the "right" employment--to be tested. There could realistically be several hundred thousand more that are unknown.

This isn't going away anytime soon, and Trump's push to hastily reopen the country is going to contribute to the increase in these numbers as time goes on.

EDIT: Another stat I just came across: There have been, to date, a little over 5 million tests done in the US. Am I misremembering or did I read someone here post a while ago that experts were suggesting we need to be able to test 5 million people PER DAY in order to safely lift restrictions?

Also bear in mind that just because 5 million people have been tested that doesn't mean the ones who were clear before are still clear. It's a test, not a vaccine.

Thanks for the reporting numbers. I think the 5 million per day to safely life restrictions was about the right about, at least from what I'm remembering as well.

Is there any way to extrapolate the number of deaths/cases with the number of tested so far? It seems like if we're about to hit 60k deaths total, and we're really just 2 months in, and we're already lifting restrictions because Dipshit-in-Chief is literally the worst person who could be in charge, won't we see far more than 100k-200, deaths?

- - - Updated - - -

Two quick things:

1) As hinted at least time, Trump missed the press briefing at which all he did was lie, attack the press, and remind the American people that he put Pence in charge but still wanted all the glory.

Maybe he'll just scream and throw Cheetos at the TV when a reporter asks a question he thinks is unfair like "what is your plan?"

2) Someone tell the Fat Lady she's on in five. HHS Sec Azar is likely about to be fired for daring to contradict Trump with facts and evidence, sources tell the WSJ.

I wonder if they have enough votes for the 25th.

[Benggaul]

Is there any way to extrapolate the number of deaths/cases with the number of tested so far? It seems like if we're about to hit 60k deaths total, and we're really just 2 months in, and we're already lifting restrictions because Dipshit-in-Chief is literally the worst person who could be in charge, won't we see far more than 100k-200, deaths?




I wonder if they have enough votes for the 25th.

Is it possible? Sure, but I've done way too much grim math the past few weeks to last me a lifetime. I'll leave that to the experts.

And they'll never have enough votes for the 25th. They NEED Trump in the White House as long as possible. The GOP knows their days are numbered so they're trying to rig the system as much as possible while they still have the reigns.

[PhaelixWW]

And they'll never have enough votes for the 25th. They NEED Trump in the White House as long as possible. The GOP knows their days are numbered so they're trying to rig the system as much as possible while they still have the reigns.

Going the 25th route still leaves a GoP President, though, in the form of Pence. And arguably, the GoP could get more use out of half a year of Pence than they could out of Trump at this point.

[Benggaul]

Going the 25th route still leaves a GoP President, though, in the form of Pence. And arguably, the GoP could get more use out of half a year of Pence than they could out of Trump at this point.

I doubt Pence can be manipulated NEAR as easily as Trump is.

[Breccia]

Toll rises to 51,017

And now stands at 53,789. Either JH caught up, or the average is just refusing to drop below two thousand, or both.

Well, if the inflection point is today, that's 107,000 dead. (Plus that tail, but one thing at a time)

I really don't think we should be opening up large crowds yet. Smaller, more cautious ones maybe.

- - - Updated - - -

I wonder if they have enough votes for the 25th.

No.

1) Trump has fired everyone who is willing to put country over Trump.
2) Trump would literally rather die in office than be removed because he's insane.

[Benggaul]

2) Trump would literally rather die in office than be removed because he's insane.

I think the ONLY thing that might have gotten through to the few brain cells he has left is that the moment he leaves office he is no longer protected by the office.

[Stormspellz]

And now stands at 53,789. Either JH caught up, or the average is just refusing to drop below two thousand, or both.

Well, if the inflection point is today, that's 107,000 dead. (Plus that tail, but one thing at a time)

I really don't think we should be opening up large crowds yet. Smaller, more cautious ones maybe.

- - - Updated - - -



No.

1) Trump has fired everyone who is willing to put country over Trump.
2) Trump would literally rather die in office than be removed because he's insane.

he also knows once he's out of office he will spend the rest of his life in a court room if not a jail.

[Nellise]

54,265 deaths, 2,065 on the 26th. At this rate it'll be 60k by the middle of the week. Still an upward weekly average trend. Also, 35,419 new cases today, the second highest daily total (behind yesterday's 38k); either testing has been expanded or there are new hot spots popping up, it seems.

Illinois is doing about 50% more tests than last week. It's still not a lot of tests as a percentage of population, but it's where they said they wanted to get to by now. They wanted 10k tests a day and are up to 12k as of yesterday (it was about 7000 last week). Deaths per day in Illinois are kind of bouncing around between 40 and 120 with no real trend for the past 2 weeks.

And to make this Trump related: April 25 live blog: Illinois Poison Control sees ‘significant increase’ in calls associated with cleaning agents, health dept. says