Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Zan15]

Donald J. Trump

Blame the Democrats for any “lateness” in your Enhanced Unemployment Insurance. I wanted the money to be paid directly, they insisted it be paid by states for distribution. I told them this would happen, especially with many states which have old computers.

8:20 AM - Apr 27, 2020




I mean this guy is.....so bigly stable.


lets just ignore the hundred million or so people whom have not even got close to getting the 1200 bucks....could you imagine.

[Breccia]

I mean this guy is.....so bigly stable.

I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you over

FAKE NEWS, THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE!

"You took that out of context. What's the rest of the tweet say?"

That's the entire thing.

By the way, any bets on what he says today, that tomorrow, he'll claim was just sarcastic? As he's proven twice over the weekend, it could be literally anything like "huffing bleach".

- - - Updated - - -

McConnell caves to reality.

"There probably will be another state and local funding bill but we need to make sure that we achieve something that will go beyond simply sending out money," McConnell said.

McConnell added that negotiating further aid for state and local governments would be "challenging" and reiterated that Republicans don't want funding to go toward overstretched state pension programs.

"We do want to help them with expenses that are directly related to the coronavirus outbreak but we're not interested in helping them fix age-old problems that they haven't had the courage to fix in the past," McConnell said.

Hmm. I wonder if Kentucky has any age--

Kentucky's tax structure is inadequate

This isn't a new problem

Kentucky's emerging revenue crisis was exposed in 2001, with the publication of the legislature-commissioned Fox Report, which found that Kentucky has a structural deficit. This means that since 2001, we've known that Kentucky's current tax system doesn't generate enough revenue to meet our needs. In 2005, KFTC and allies published Raising the Bar: Kentucky's Real Budget Report, which showed that to match the average investment of our surrounding states, Kentucky would have to raise $1.8 billion. So while the recession has exacerbated Kentucky's budget problems, it didn't cause them. Kentucky's revenue shortfall is caused by a fundamental problem – called a structural imbalance – that predates the recession.

KCEP's Long-Term SustainabilityThe graph to the right is from the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, and shows Kentucky's General Fund revenue as a share of the economy.

A solid revenue stream would at least keep pace with the economy. This graph shows that, as bad as the economy has been, our revenues still haven’t kept up with it. The resulting trend is that the gap between what we have and what we need to maintain a basic levels of services is getting wider every year.

Bevin administration releases stark budget forecast for Kentucky

KY Governor-Elect Will Have to Fill $1B Budget Shortfall

KY Medicaid Chief Quits Amid Budget Problems $300 million shortfall

Kentucky Budget Pressures Threaten to Upend Longstanding Public Health Policy

Kentucky’s New Budget Carries Big Consequences for Public Colleges

Bevin administration says Kentucky faces $1.1 billion budget shortfall over next two years <---- Dec 4 2019

https://www.wymt.com/content/news/Te...567489211.html

Kentucky's gov-elect sounds alarm about state budget

And my personal favorite from March 13


Kentucky Public Health Lab Has Faced Underfunding, Turnover In Recent Years

Over and above the blatant hypocrisy of red states claiming to live within their means while taking more federal tax money than they send back, the fact that McConnell's own state is the second most covered in debt (barely less than New York) and just rushed a new state budget to sign that cuts teacher pensions because they're broke should be all the emphasis I need.

[Felya]

From working very closely with those who are responsible for overseeing trials at the sponsor level, I feel confident saying that they care about the well being of their site's patients very much. There is plenty of empathy, and it feels sincere. Investors and those who manage the funds on the other hand, I don't interact with, so I can't really defend them at all, lol.

Oh totally, I only downplayed it like that, hoping to avoid conspiracy theorist.

[Breccia]

Somewhere on the spectrum of Trump from the deep red "I have total authority" to the cowardly yellow "I don't take responsibility" is --

"Um, spectrums go to purple or violet."

Well I have to put orange in the middle, don't I? Anyhow, here's one: White House document says federal government is a test 'supplier of last resort'

In an overview of the plan, the federal government's role is described as providing "strategic direction and technical assistance regarding the best use of available testing technologies" and "expedited regulatory authorizations" for tests.

But the document says the federal government should act only as the "supplier of last resort" for testing materials.

Instead, states should "develop testing plans and rapid response programs" and "maximize the use of all available testing platforms and venues," according to the copy of the blueprint.

States are also instructed to "identify and overcome barriers to efficient testing," including "misallocation of supplies" and "logistical failures."

And they are told to develop their own contact tracing programs that would identify and isolate people who may have been exposed to the virus. The federal government will provide "technical assistance" through the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the document read.

Expect to hear more of this tonight.

Incidentally, once again, we see the only way to be a Trump supporter is to be a hypocrite. Trump said states should bid against each other, then stole from the blue states that won. Is there any reason to think he won't do the same with tests and testing supplies?

[Edge-]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/kelli-...h-care-workers

And today in, "Republicans are apparently fucking anarchists", we have Arizona Republican Party chairwoman "Dr." Kelli Ward. I imagine she's an actual doctor.

Planning protest to #ReOpenAmerica? EVERYONE wear scrubs & masks - the media doesn’t care if you are really in healthcare or not - it’s the “message” that matters!

Encouraging snowflake protesters who can't get their haircuts to dress up as health care workers to go our and protest to stick it to the media.

Because who actually gives a shit about the men and women who are literally risking their lives every day to care for patients with homemade PPE because they aren't adequately supplied. Oh yeah, and a ton of them just got paycuts too.

The Republican party has lost any ability or right to take the moral highground on literally any issue. Ever.

- - - Updated - - -

https://www.thedailybeast.com/fox-ne...a=twitter_page

Apparently "Diamond and Silk", who have close ties to Trump and are unofficial "advisors", crossed the line with their laundry list of coronavirus conspiracy theories. They're not welcome on Fox anymore.

Man, Trump even manages to surround himself with people that even Fox won't bloody touch, and they host people like Mr. Phil. That's impressive.

[Lenonis]

The Republican party has lost any ability or right to take the moral highground on literally any issue. Ever.

When have they ever let hypocrisy stand in their way?

[Breccia]

Encouraging snowflake protesters who can't get their haircuts to dress up as health care workers to go our and protest to stick it to the media.

Nope.

They want to protest in a tightly packed crowd their right to be in a tightly packed crowd, without being made sick by being in a tightly packed crowd.

Earlier today we posted how ReOpen NC's leader was infected. This is a literal cover up to protect against irony poisoning.

- - - Updated - - -

Much of this CNN fact check is stuff we already know.

Man, it is such a relief to post CNN again without feeling like some of y'all would be triggered. It's a good thing I gave you 24 hours to challenge me and none of you did it. It's so...liberating.

But there is one thing that got past us, or at least got past me and i'm projecting.

Trump retweeted a baseless coronavirus conspiracy theory from pro-Trump pundit John Cardillo.

Cardillo alleged that people had tried to oust Trump through illegitimate means before the pandemic, then added: "Do you really think these lunatics wouldn't inflate the mortality rates by underreporting the infection rates in an attempt to steal the election?"

Facts First: There is no basis for the suggestion that Trump opponents are inflating the coronavirus mortality rate to try to "steal the election." While the precise mortality rate is challenging to identify, there is no evidence that health authorities are manipulating any figures to damage the President. Further, Trump opponents and independent experts have consistently called for a dramatic expansion of coronavirus testing -- which would likely result in a lower, not higher, ratio of people dying to people known to be infected.

There is subjectivity involved in official death totals. Official counts in New York and some other states now include "probable" deaths of people who had not been tested but whose deaths were thought likely by doctors, coroners or medical examiners to have been from the virus. But even with the addition of "probable" deaths, there is a broad expert consensus that the official figures are undercounting, not overcounting, the true number of deaths.

Trump critics have been vocal in their calls for more people to be tested. Testing people with milder symptoms or no symptoms would reduce, not inflate, the ratio of people dying to the total infected population.

Trump retweeted a literal conspiracy theory. It's good to know that the moderators and admins of MMO-C have stricter standards than Individual-One on the largest podium on the planet. Which it has to be, to carry his big fat orange ass.

[Acidbaron]

Saw the video about Cuomo explaining how civil servants were not included in the bill but small businesses were. Surely this is not a message that will go down well that of all the people healthcare providers and hospitals are being left to fend for themselves?

[Edge-]

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/0...navirus-207589

So...don't rely on tests, folks.

The Food and Drug Administration is dealing with a flood of inaccurate coronavirus antibody tests after it allowed more than 120 manufacturers and labs to bring the tests to market without an agency review.

...

Public health experts say the FDA shouldn’t have waived its reviews of antibody tests and are calling on it to crack down. To date, the FDA has granted a formal emergency use authorization, in which it reviews data from manufacturers, to just seven of the tests.

...

On Friday, the House Oversight Committee released a report on antibody testing that said “numerous companies appear to be marketing fraudulent tests” — and that the FDA had “failed to police the coronavirus serological antibody test market.”

Current FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, told POLITICO that the agency has discussed changing the current policy, which allows manufacturers to validate the quality of their own products as long as they include a disclaimer with test results. The FDA is trying to balance concerns about quality with its desire to allow innovative tests to reach the market quickly during a pandemic, he said.

So, as long as they say, "This test not approved by the FDA" companies can sell test kids that test for nothing. Or everything. Or anything. It doesn't matter, FDA don't got time to make sure that test kits provide accurate data to allow for proper tracking and planning.

Because clearly allowing companies to self-regulate and review their own products has never blown up in our faces. Or fallen out of the sky. Or exploded in the bottom of the ocean. Or...I don't have the effort to add more times when self-regulation due to inadequate federal regulatory funding and oversight led to the people dying.

- - - Updated - - -

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/27/trum...work-done.html

THERE'S A PLAN FOR TESTING NOW!

Well, there are two documents that are a part of this plan.

The first is an "overview", largely existing for the administration to say they're doing an amazing job and look at how great they are, they've done 7/8 of the things they decided they need to do!

The second is the "blueprint" for testing, which calls for a "partnership" with federal, state, and private sector involvement.

That's not so bad, right!

Wrong, it leaves pretty much everything up to the states. Funding? States gotta find it. Planning and sourcing of materials? States gotta handle that. Setting up and running testing sites/facilities? Yep, states are responsible for that as well.

The Trump administration is functionally your supervisor that told you they'd create the outline for the proposal you're submitting to a prospective client and fill in the big stuff, and then sends you a blank powerpoint document and tells you to figure it all out yourself.

And then wants to claim all the credit for creating the proposal that secured the client.

I have totally had bosses like this in my life.

- - - Updated - - -

https://www.kansas.com/news/politics...l#adnrb=900000

And we have our first confirmed case of someone drinking cleaning products following Trump's "sarcastic non-suggestion."

This is beside from the increase in calls that poison control and similar lines have received lately.

I hope the guy survives, but if he doesn't that will be a second death we can literally trace back to Trump's "suggestions" , the first being the guy that died after he and his wife took chloroquine after Trump first suggested the drug as a treatment.

- - - Updated - - -

https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regi...pqqOX2SjpEfjL/

Add two more in Georgia that tried drinking cleaning solutions. They both have a history of psychiatric issues which provides context, but this is a good example of why you don't "sarcastically" suggest something that dangerous on national TV.

- - - Updated - - -

https://apnews.com/c76e764141179075244ecfd5f1bb5e19

GOOD NEWS! Barr is on the case for states violating the Constitution with their shelter in place orders.

I'm actually not entirely opposed to that, it's his job.

However this bit, from a Fox News interview, jumped out at me -

“I think we have to allow people to figure out ways of getting back to work and keep their workers and customers safe,” Barr said in an interview with Fox News earlier this month. “I’m not suggesting we stop social distancing overnight. There may come a time where we have to worry less about that.”

Why is the Attorney General discussing the economy like this? That's not his department nor an area where the DoJ focuses (at least outside of criminal economic behavior), and sounds suspiciously political.

[Poopymonster]

We're approaching 20% unemployment and it'll likely take years to recover economically from this... I'm not saying UBI will be permanent, but they're talking about $2k/person/month until shit gets back to normal.

House is working on that and can pass it, but Bitch McConnell won't let that come anywhere near the floor. If Dems take the senate and WH, it'll be too late I think.

[Edge-]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-...a=twitter_page

Trump still takes no responsibility. This time about people drinking cleanser after he suggested that it could be injected into people to clean them out.

And he doesn't know why anybody would think or do that.

[Breccia]

GOOD NEWS! Barr is on the case for states violating the Constitution with their shelter in place orders.

"Well, shit," Barr says after even the most casual glance at the Constitution, "turns out Trump doesn't have total authority. Well I guess this is going nowhere."

- - - Updated - - -

Trump still takes no responsibility.

And if you scroll down, you see why.

Over a dozen classified reports that were presented to President Trump in January and February included stark warnings about the spread of the coronavirus, The Washington Post reports. In the President’s Daily Brief (PDB), a top-secret report filled with information about national security issues that is handed over to the president each morning, intelligence agencies reportedly sounded the alarm for weeks that China was concealing the extent of the outbreak, as well as how rapidly it spreads, but the president continued to actively play down its threat. The report also laid bare the very real possibility of severe economic and political ramifications as a result of the outbreak, according to the Post. Trump, however, dismissed the message, the Post reports. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees the PDB, told the Post that “the detail of this is not true.”

Because if he took responsibility, he'd have to admit fault.

[Masark]

And today in, "Republicans are apparently fucking anarchists", we have Arizona Republican Party chairwoman "Dr." Kelli Ward. I imagine she's an actual doctor.

Mostly. She's a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (a made-in-America form of quackery, though they're also trained in actual medicine and regarded as physicians in most of the world), rather than an MD.

[Deja Thoris]

I watched some of the cringefest that is the daily briefing today.

What the actual fuck.

Pence was answering a question on testing numbers and he was somehow trying to convince the reporters that they were the ones misunderstanding because they have the capacity to do a bazillion tests (they just can't analyse the results!)


Also, congrats Murica. 1 million confirmed cases and counting.

[Omega10]

The Food and Drug Administration is dealing with a flood of inaccurate coronavirus antibody tests after it allowed more than 120 manufacturers and labs to bring the tests to market without an agency review.

...

Public health experts say the FDA shouldn’t have waived its reviews of antibody tests and are calling on it to crack down. To date, the FDA has granted a formal emergency use authorization, in which it reviews data from manufacturers, to just seven of the tests.

...

On Friday, the House Oversight Committee released a report on antibody testing that said “numerous companies appear to be marketing fraudulent tests” — and that the FDA had “failed to police the coronavirus serological antibody test market.”

Current FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, told POLITICO that the agency has discussed changing the current policy, which allows manufacturers to validate the quality of their own products as long as they include a disclaimer with test results. The FDA is trying to balance concerns about quality with its desire to allow innovative tests to reach the market quickly during a pandemic, he said.

From Edge's previous post, this is sad beyond belief. There are things that Americans can do to completely destroy America's reputation throughout the world. This is one of the most effective. So we are the country of chlorinated chicken and fake coronavirus tests

[We are covfefe]

From Edge's previous post, this is sad beyond belief. There are things that Americans can do to completely destroy America's reputation throughout the world. This is one of the most effective. So we are the country of chlorinated chicken and fake coronavirus tests

Get me out of this stupid fucking timeline. Good lord.

[Benggaul]

56,803 deaths. 1,384 on the 28th, so more than yesterday. Unless the numbers go down drastically we'll be hitting 60k before the weekend. REALLY hoping the totals from the past two days are indicative of a downward trend, but it's too early to say. If it keeps up then we may get away with "only" 60-70k deaths on the first wave of this thing. The jury is out on how bad the second wave will be...but given that it seems a lot of places are going to open up too early I don't think there's much doubt that there WILL be a second wave.

I'm cautiously optimistic that we can avoid the earlier 100k projection, but honestly 50k in a month is bad enough. I'd also like to remind the "lol, see, this is just the flu" crowd that there were "only" 50k deaths in a month even WITH the lockdown and other measures in place, without which the toll would/will be much, much higher. The flu takes a year to kill that many.

[Breccia]

56,803 deaths. 1,384 on the 28th, so more than yesterday.

Similar results from the JH site.

we're at 54,876.

56,259 is the current number. That's +1383. As you pointed out, still looking at 60k this week and even if we hit the inflection point due to this downgrade that's 110,000 or more by the end. Oh, and that inflection point and states opening back up might not agree with each other.

[Benggaul]

Similar results from the JH site.

Oh, I think I also found out why the numbers at JH differ. I think they're going by the state reports whereas mine collates data from the county level where available, and state reports tend to lag behind county numbers.

[Milchshake]

Can the Trump Presidency survive a Bacon Shortage? Asking for a friend.

Groceries could see meat shortages by end of week amid plant closings