Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Benggaul]

Friday's report:

171,125 new cases. Comparisons will resume next week.

Top 10:

Fuck Florida.
Texas: 17,208 new cases; 412 deaths
California: 10,828 new cases; 166 deaths
Ohio: 9,019 new cases; 45 deaths
Georgia: 8,278 new cases; 156 deaths
New York: 6,266 new cases; 29 deaths
North Carolina: 5,877 new cases; 71 deaths
Indiana: 5,328 new cases; 24 deaths
Illinois: 5,309 new cases; 52 deaths
Kentucky: 5,188 new cases; 32 deaths

Numbers are beginning to settle back to "normal" and the picture still isn't good but appears at first blush to be improving at the national level. We'll know for sure next week. Individually there are still several states not doing well, Ohio in particular. They're back up to winter wave numbers and still appear to be climbing. South Dakota's also still heading in the wrong direction--but we all already expected that. Along with Alabama and Tennessee they have the worst positivity in the country. Tennessee currently has the most daily cases per 100k at about 100; New England has the least.

1,761 deaths brings the total to 677,017. Texas posted another 400+ deaths and it's becoming less a correction and more the stark reality. I admit I haven't been paying close attention to Florida this week--because fuck Florida--but their daily average deaths is up to 350 so that's probably all that needs to be said. California and Georgia had similar death totals which is not a good look for Georgia considering they have about a quarter California's population. The 7-day national average is around 1,380 and probably still climbing.

Related news:

Republicans attack Biden's COVID vaccine plan and threaten court challenges--We all predicted it, I'm sure. The "Pro-Life" party sure hates legislation that protects life. I guess many of them still haven't realized they're killing off children and their own voters at this point.

The Fourth U.S. Wave of COVID-19 Could Be Ebbing. The Fifth Might Be Worse

The question is now: What happens this fall and winter, when children are at school and Americans once again travel for the holidays? In spite of desperate warnings from the CDC that people stay home for last year’s holiday, they largely did not, which led to the third spike in cases, which reached heights that dwarfed the first two. That doesn’t bode well for Christmas 2021, especially given that, in this current, fourth wave, seven states have already surpassed their previous peaks in cases (with another four doing nearly as poorly):

Within the next several days, we may see a modest surge from travel over the Labor Day weekend, but the real test will come in about two months—still all too soon. The holidays always sneak up on us. Under one possibility, many millions of Americans may be bolstered by a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, though this will be scant protection for those who have yet to receive a first.

Evidence that surging cases could inspire more unvaccinated Americans to change their mind was initially encouraging, but did not extend indefinitely. Should the fourth wave recede considerably, it may take a fifth to convince a significantly greater number.

This is what I've been dreading, and I believe @PhaelixWW also alluded to it. I'm hopeful we can avoid the catastrophe that last Winter was because of the large number of vaccinated citizens, but if the vaccine isn't approved for children 12 and under soon Delta is going to continue to cut a swathe through the population during the Fall and Winter. I think death totals should not reach the heights of last year, but then I didn't think we'd be so close to 2k this wave either.

Stay safe, folks.

[PhaelixWW]

Friday's report:

1,761 deaths brings the total to 677,017.

Thursday's death total was 674547 which means that Friday added a backlog of 709 in addition to the 1761 officially reported for the day.

The Fourth U.S. Wave of COVID-19 Could Be Ebbing. The Fifth Might Be Worse

This is what I've been dreading, and I believe @PhaelixWW also alluded to it. I'm hopeful we can avoid the catastrophe that last Winter was because of the large number of vaccinated citizens, but if the vaccine isn't approved for children 12 and under soon Delta is going to continue to cut a swathe through the population during the Fall and Winter. I think death totals should not reach the heights of last year, but then I didn't think we'd be so close to 2k this wave either.

You have more faith than I. If deaths are already worse this summer than last despite the current number of vaccinations, then I don't see all that much hope for an easier winter than last, either. It might make sense if delta started last winter, but it didn't get going until June. As bad as last winter was, that was due to just alpha and delta is demonstrably worse.

Stay safe, folks.

Amen, brother.

[zorkuus]

The message is about as tone deaf as anyone could have expected it to be. But at least he didn't take the opportunity to make this about himself, like he does literally everything else.

Well... back in the day he did congratulate himself for having the tallest building in NY all of a sudden.

[Benggaul]

You have more faith than I.

In truth, not really. But I've been doing these reports for about a year and a half now and I have to throw in a little optimism now and then for my own sanity. This last wave scared a bunch of people into getting the vaccine who wouldn't have otherwise and I read a while ago that the vaccine for 12 and under should be approved (for emergency use) within the next month or so, so I'm trying to hold out a little hope.

[Breccia]

Trump spent today attacking Biden and telling people he's decided if he'll run in 2024.

"Did he say what that decision was?"

No. He claimed it was illegal.

So as per usual, I'll ask the Trump supporters here -- you know, @TexasRules @GreenJesus and the like -- to find the law that would prohibit Trump from saying he is/isn't running in 2024. As per usual, you have 24 hours. Failure to find such a law is admission Trump is lying. Failure to even look, means you know Trump is lying.

Bear in mind, of course, Trump's tried this tactic before, on FOX News of course. Therefore a lot of people have already looked for the law that'd be broken, and found nothing. Granted, Trump would have to stop running his PAC, but that's not the same as

As the campaign finance laws are extremely complicated and unbelievably stupid, I’m actually not allowed to answer that question, can you believe it?

So, good luck. You're up against a stacked field of experts and professionals. Many of them, by the way, seem to think that Trump is busy fundraising on that coy "oooo I'll never tell" excuse, because the second he says "No I'm not running" donations dry up, and he can't take campaign money and keep it for himself.

"Okay, but what did Trump say when he attended a 9/11 memorial site?"

He didn't visit any 9/11 memorial sites. He did visit a police station, at which he made some of those politicizing comments.

[Lanrefni]

Guys. Seriously. Guys… DJTJ is gonna ask Trump about Area 51 tonight. Totally worth spending $50.

I would love it if he leaked legit National Security secrets on air,would give the FBI everything it needs to arrest him.

[Benggaul]

Dad Who Lost Unvaccinated 15-Year-Old Son to COVID Warns Others: 'They'll Change Their Minds'

Yep. Another story of a young unvaccinated (but eligible) kid dying to what is now a preventable virus. And yes, the father is now getting vaccinated. I can't entirely blame them as they were waiting on FDA approval, but most medical experts were saying it was much safer to get the vaccine than to get COVID ever since the vaccine became available for widespread use, so there's caution and then there's being overcautious. Maybe if Trump and the GOP had gotten behind this from the start instead of casting doubt on the entire pandemic there'd be fewer holdouts.

[Hollycakes]

Maybe if Trump and the GOP had gotten behind this from the start instead of casting doubt on the entire pandemic there'd be fewer holdouts.

This right fucking here is why my aunt is in the hospital with covid and a stroke.
He put just enough doubt in her mind that she didn't trust it.
Same for my uncle who from her learned it wasn't FDA approved and is/was holding out on getting his.
Only now after all of this and his sister dying in the hospital have I convinced him to get it.

[Breccia]

He did visit a police station, at which he made some of those politicizing comments.

UPDATE: So it was at that police station where he lied about being unable to say if he could run or not, but that was hardly his only lie.

Trump also said the NYPD endorsed him, the first time they'd endorsed anyone. That was, of course, objectively false. They didn't endorse Trump. Some police unions had, but Trump didn't say that. So, he lied.

But he also lied about the rigged election -- and he lied so hard, FOX News cut away to fact-check him.

And it wasn't even Wallace this time.

So yes, Trump took time on 9/11 to, once again, claim the election was rigged.

[Ripster42]

Trump spent today attacking Biden and telling people he's decided if he'll run in 2024.

"Did he say what that decision was?"

No. He claimed it was illegal.

So as per usual, I'll ask the Trump supporters here -- you know, @TexasRules @GreenJesus and the like -- to find the law that would prohibit Trump from saying he is/isn't running in 2024. As per usual, you have 24 hours. Failure to find such a law is admission Trump is lying. Failure to even look, means you know Trump is lying.

It's not that he's lying, he's just a moron. I'm about 90% that he was told that once he declares, it puts some restraints on some of his fundraising and coordinating with superpacs. As long as he's not a declared candidate, he avoids a lot of campaign finance regulations. But, again, he's a moron, so that filters through the treacle that is his mind and translates to "It's illegal to declare my candidacy."

[gondrin]

So yes, Trump took time on 9/11 to, once again, to bitch that something took attention away from him.

Fixed it for you.

Hell, there could be a meteor the size of Texas coming to earth Armageddon style and he would somehow complain that it was taking the focus off of him.

[Rasulis]

This is what I've been dreading, and I believe @PhaelixWW also alluded to it. I'm hopeful we can avoid the catastrophe that last Winter was because of the large number of vaccinated citizens, but if the vaccine isn't approved for children 12 and under soon Delta is going to continue to cut a swathe through the population during the Fall and Winter. I think death totals should not reach the heights of last year, but then I didn't think we'd be so close to 2k this wave either.

Stay safe, folks.

It could be done without inoculating 12 and under.

How to open school safely the San Francisco way.

No Pediatric COVID Cases In San Francisco; Health Officials Release Encouraging Data On Kids And COVID

No COVID-19 outbreaks have occurred in San Francisco schools since they reopened to in-person learning in mid-August and case rates have remained steady among young children in recent months, even as they return to classrooms, according to data released Thursday by the Department of Public Health.

Just 13 city children have been hospitalized because of the coronavirus since the pandemic started in early 2020 and none currently, officials said. No San Francisco children have died from the virus.

The numbers defy national trends that have shown large upticks in cases and hospitalizations among school-aged children overall during the delta surge.

Since the city’s public school classrooms reopened in mid-August, there have been no coronavirus outbreaks among the district’s more than 50,000 students — meaning three linked school cases in two weeks — and fewer than five cases of in-school transmission, health officials announced Thursday.

The data offers the first comprehensive look at what the full reopening of in-person instruction has meant in terms of COVID-19 cases across the city, even amid the delta variant surge.

The vast majority of the 227 district cases reported so far among the 62,000 students and staff were acquired at home or in the community and not spread at schools, according to Department of Public Health officials who are tracking every case.

Fears that the surging delta variant and the simultaneous reopening of schools could send cases spiking among in-person students and staff have not been realized, officials said.

“To date, our data demonstrate that cases among San Francisco residents under age 18 have remained low and stable throughout the pandemic and that schools are low-risk settings when the proper safety protocols are followed,” according to health officials.

The data comes out in the wake of recent teacher union rallies and a school board resolution calling for increases in COVID-19 testing, remote learning, social distancing and air filtration, among other demands, all of which exceed state and local health and safety guidelines.

Basically the school board and teachers don't think the State of California and City/County Health Department guidelines are not strict enough. Only in San Francisco.

A summary of the findings from the linked report.

• The data shows that 11.5% of COVID-19 positive cases were among children under 18.
• Serious forms of COVID among children have been extremely rare. The majority suffering from mild symptoms or were asymptomatic including during the Delta case surge.
• Hospitalizations have been low throughout the pandemic. Since March 2020, there have been a total of 13 pediatric hospitalizations among San Francisco residents at San Francisco hospitals. There are currently no San Francisco children who are hospitalized for COVID-19.
• The majority of pediatric COVID-19 cases in San Francisco were from an unvaccinated adult in the household getting COVID-19 and transmitting it to their family members.
• Approximately 90% of children ages 12 to 17 in the city are FULLY vaccinated.
• The San Francisco Unified School District has reported 227 cases out of nearly 52,000 students and nearly 10,000 staff as of September 8.
• Among the San Francisco’s private, parochial and charter school sites there were 61 cases out of nearly 22,500 students and nearly 5,000 staff as of September 3.
• No COVID-19 outbreaks have been verified as having occurred at San Francisco schools as of September 8 with an outbreak is defined as three or more cases in non-related households in which the source of infection occurred at the school, and not another setting.

Keep in mind that this is a major metropolitan with the second highest population density in the US.

[Benggaul]

Bank Manager Beaten After Work by Client Angry About Request to Wear Mask: 'He Laid in Wait'

If only Trump and the GOP hadn't politicized wearing a fucking mask to prevent the spread of COVID.

[Kaleredar]

Bank Manager Beaten After Work by Client Angry About Request to Wear Mask: 'He Laid in Wait'

If only Trump and the GOP hadn't politicized wearing a fucking mask to prevent the spread of COVID.

Hopefully they catch this guy and throw the book at him.

I can think of fewer groups than anti-maskers that need a cold, hard reality check, especially if they're getting violent.

[Breccia]

especially if they're getting violent.

Swapping your bank account(s) to another bank is a tedious chore.

I wonder if it's 8 to 25 years in prison level of tedious? No, wait, I know it's not. If the bank added a new requirement you really hated, vote with your wallet and cash out. If you can also convince your friends the bank is committing a great wrong and convince them to cash out also, you might actually hurt more than their feelings. If enough people copy/paste that response, they might even change their rules.

"But Breccia! What if every bank in that area has that same issue?"

Well then how does assaulting the bank manager help? If every bank does that, it's a state requirement, and not the manager's fault. The Trump supporter (yes, he was) attacking the bank manager, when it's a state or local requirement, is pointless because it's not his fault. It's not even technically terrorism since he's not trying to change political progress, he's just committing premeditated attempted murder.

Not only does this guy deserve to go to jail, I honestly hope the bank whose manager was assaulted has a clause in their contrat "by the way, if you try to rob the bank we get to keep your money" because I'd like to see this guy up for bank robbery. I mean, you could make the argument that
1) he wanted to get money from the bank in a way that wasn't permitted, and
2) he resorted to violence
and therefore it's a bank robbery.

"Whoa, that'd never stick!"

It would, if this guy was caught and pleads out. Then the bank gets to point at the fine print, say "you pled guilty fuckwit" and the guy goes to jail broke.

"That sounds unnecessarily vindictive."

No. Being told to wear a mask in a bank, and instead choosing to ambuch the manager and attempt to beat him unconsciuos or to death, that's especially vindictive. I just want to see the punishment make enough headlines that
1) this guy is mocked coast to coast for being that stupid, and
2) nobody else tries this when they realize they'll go to jail broke.

- - - Updated - - -

Also, this fuckwit was stupid enough to threaten the bank manager...inside the bank. Where there are more cameras than an online Zoom photography class. And I can't imagine he said "come on outside, you bank manager, and I'll choke you and give you a concussion, but also could you close my accounts first?"

The bank has his money., his name, his address, his face, and the threats in video plus possibly audio. This is an open and shut case.

[gondrin]

Swapping your bank account(s) to another bank is a tedious chore.

I wonder if it's 8 to 25 years in prison level of tedious? No, wait, I know it's not. If the bank added a new requirement you really hated, vote with your wallet and cash out. If you can also convince your friends the bank is committing a great wrong and convince them to cash out also, you might actually hurt more than their feelings. If enough people copy/paste that response, they might even change their rules.

"But Breccia! What if every bank in that area has that same issue?"

Well then how does assaulting the bank manager help? If every bank does that, it's a state requirement, and not the manager's fault. The Trump supporter (yes, he was) attacking the bank manager, when it's a state or local requirement, is pointless because it's not his fault. It's not even technically terrorism since he's not trying to change political progress, he's just committing premeditated attempted murder.

Not only does this guy deserve to go to jail, I honestly hope the bank whose manager was assaulted has a clause in their contrat "by the way, if you try to rob the bank we get to keep your money" because I'd like to see this guy up for bank robbery. I mean, you could make the argument that
1) he wanted to get money from the bank in a way that wasn't permitted, and
2) he resorted to violence
and therefore it's a bank robbery.

"Whoa, that'd never stick!"

It would, if this guy was caught and pleads out. Then the bank gets to point at the fine print, say "you pled guilty fuckwit" and the guy goes to jail broke.

"That sounds unnecessarily vindictive."

No. Being told to wear a mask in a bank, and instead choosing to ambuch the manager and attempt to beat him unconsciuos or to death, that's especially vindictive. I just want to see the punishment make enough headlines that
1) this guy is mocked coast to coast for being that stupid, and
2) nobody else tries this when they realize they'll go to jail broke.

- - - Updated - - -

Also, this fuckwit was stupid enough to threaten the bank manager...inside the bank. Where there are more cameras than an online Zoom photography class. And I can't imagine he said "come on outside, you bank manager, and I'll choke you and give you a concussion, but also could you close my accounts first?"

The bank has his money., his name, his address, his face, and the threats in video plus possibly audio. This is an open and shut case.

This news story is full of irony.

The fact that he could have taken a small bit of money out of an ATM, opened a bank account in another bank, after that electronically transferred all of his money to the new bank then after everything is out called them up to close it all while without having to wear a mask or go into the place that told him he had to wear a mask.

This is the time a judge should be able to point this out to him and ask him if his loss of freedom was worth it. This should be a felony level offense(premeditated) so not only does he lose his freedom because of possible jail time, he would lose his freedom to own any firearm legally.

[Breccia]

(premeditated)

That is the relevant factor, isn't it? I'm not sure how much time passed between incitement and incident, but yeah, he can't claim the threat he made in public was a joke and then accidentally waited for the manager and tried to beat him unconscious.

[gondrin]

That is the relevant factor, isn't it? I'm not sure how much time passed between incitement and incident, but yeah, he can't claim the threat he made in public was a joke and then accidentally waited for the manager and tried to beat him unconscious.

Yep. If he would have did the act right there in the bank, it would be simple assault(while it is a terrible thing, this is a heat of the moment type thing). If you come back later and wait for said person, it becomes a planned thing.

EDIT: Also, for bonus points, this guy also allegedly used racial slurs so it can be considered a hate crime on time of it.

[Breccia]

If he would have did the act right there in the bank, it would be simple assault

Briefly. Then the bank security would have beaten him to the floor and we'd have another "it's not a crime because it didn't work" discussion, wouldn't we?

Speaking of violent acts, the Capital Police have released a report following the Jan 6th murderous insurrection. Apparently they opened 38 cases investigating the actions of their own. 12 were unable to be verified. 20 found no wrongdoing. Six officers were found to have violated rules -- along the lines of "opened a gate and stepped back" -- and are subject to disciplinary action.

[DarkTZeratul]

Well, I didn't watch Trump's boxing commentary, but I did read an article about it and it was apparently exactly what you'd expect. Though the article did make this observation after noting the Trump has a long history with boxing:

This bizarre appearance on a mostly tedious three-hour stream felt like a peek into another reality: one in which the 45th president accepted his electoral loss last November, and instead of flirting with a second run, he spent his time chasing quick cash in man-o-sphere appearances — events that can be outrageously fun and stupid if you choose to engage and completely inconsequential if you do not.