The Commentariat -- April 23, 2020

Afternoon Update:

** Time to Pad the Walls of the Brady Press Room. Reed Richardson of Mediaite: "... Donald Trump offered up bizarre and possibly dangerous suggestions about medical research on the coronavirus at his daily White House briefing, suggesting that blasting patients with 'tremendous' amounts of UV light, even 'inside of the body'; as well as injecting them with the same disinfectants that are used to kill the viruses on surfaces might be effective treatments for Covid-19. Trump was riffing off of some still developing research presented by Bill Bryan, an official from the Science and Technology branch of the Department of Homeland Security, who had just detailed the half-life of the coronavirus under various heat, humidity, and light conditions. Bryan noted that the virus seemed to decay quicker under the ultraviolet light from the sun.... Trump ... began to discuss his own take on the data.... ' So, supposing we hit the body with tremendous, I don't know if it's ultraviolet or very powerful light, and I think you said that has been checked but you're going to test it,' Trump said, turning to Bryan.... ' Then I said what it if you brought the light inside of the body which you could do either through the skin or some other way and I think you said you were going to test that, too, sounds interesting,' he added next, again turning to Bryan for validation. But then Trump even went further, connecting the household bleaching agents in most surface disinfectants to a possible internal treatment for humans, which would be toxic and possibly fatal. 'Then I see the disinfectant, one minute. Is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside, or almost a cleaning. Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it'd be interesting to check that so that you'll have to use medical doctors with.... So we'll see, but the whole concept of the light, where it goes in one minute. That's pretty powerful." After Bryan diplomatically nixed Trump's "ideas," Trump doubled down, "waving his hand as if to demonstrate his imagined procedure." The article includes video.

Trump Thinks He's Entitled to His Own Facts. Morgan Chalfant of the Hill: "President Trump said Thursday he disagreed with Anthony Fauci's statement that the U.S. does not yet have the testing capacity that it needs to effectively contain the spread of the novel coronavirus as stay-at-home restrictions are relaxed.... The president described the U.S. as more advanced than other nations on testing, claiming that other countries have inquired about American capabilities. 'We're doing very well on testing. We've tested far more than anyone else in the world and within a short period of time you'll be hearing about new tests that are coming out that are going to be incredible,' Trump said.... Fauci ... told Time in an interview published earlier Thursday that the U.S. needs to 'significantly ramp up' testing in order to contain future outbreaks.... Fauci ... was not present at Thursday's briefing...."

Erica Werner of the Washington Post: "The House overwhelmingly passed a $484 billion spending package Thursday as the unemployment crisis deepened, a stark illustration of how policymakers continue trying to rescue an unraveling economy amid growing despair. The legislation, approved 388-5, would restart a small-business loan program that was swamped by demand and allocate more money for health-care providers and virus testing. The vote was historic, as many lawmakers wore masks on the House floor, some even speaking through face coverings as they delivered impassioned remarks.... The legislation will now go to President Trump...."

He's a Liar, But We'll Vote for Him. Julie Pace & Anna Fingerhut of the AP: "... Donald Trump has made himself the daily spokesman for the nation's coronavirus response. Yet few Americans regularly look to or trust Trump as a source of information on the pandemic, according to a new survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Just 28% of Americans say they're regularly getting information from Trump about the coronavirus and only 23% say they have high levels of trust in what the president is telling the public. Another 21% trust him a moderate amount.... Only about half of Republicans say they have a lot of trust in Trump's information on the pandemic -- and 22% [of Republicans] say they have little or no trust in what he says about the COVID-19 outbreak. But even as many Republicans question Trump's credibility during the pandemic, the overwhelming majority -- 82% -- say they still approve of how he's doing. That's helped keep the president's overall approval rating steady at 42%, about where it's been for the past few months."

Andrew Kaczynski, et al., of CNN: "The new spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services in a series of now-deleted tweets made racist and derogatory comments about Chinese people, said Democrats wanted the coronavirus to kill millions of people and accused the media of intentionally creating panic around the pandemic to hurt ... Donald Trump. Michael Caputo, a longtime New York Republican political operative who worked on Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, was appointed last week as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at HHS, a prominen communications role at the department which serves a central role in the federal government's response to the coronavirus pandemic. Caputo, a prolific user who often tweeted insults and profanity, recently erased nearly his entire Twitter history from before April 12." ~~~

~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Trump's HHS Department is pretty great. They hired a guy (apparently at Trump's behest) who's a xenophobic liar who falsely accuses Democrats of wishing death to millions; the guy who is running the department's pandemic response lacks much experience in anything but labradoodle breeding, and they fired a doctor who's an expert on vaccines because he pushed back against funding Trump's magical meds. Decency & competence are liabilities at HHS, not assets.

Oops. Ed Silverman, et al., of STAT: "The antiviral medicine remdesivir from Gilead Sciences failed to speed the improvement of patients with Covid-19 or prevent them from dying, according to results from a long-awaited clinical trial conducted in China. Gilead, however, said the data suggest a 'potential benefit.' A summary of the study results was inadvertently posted to the website of the World Health Organization and seen by STAT on Thursday, but then removed."

New York. Karen Matthews & David Caruso of the AP: "More evidence is emerging that far more New Yorkers have had the coronavirus than the number confirmed by lab tests, officials said Thursday, offering insight that could help authorities decide how and how quickly to let people stop isolating from friends and return to work. Blood samples collected from about 3,000 people indicated that nearly 14% had developed antibodies to fight a coronavirus infection, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at his daily news briefing. In New York City, the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S., 21% of the people tested had antibodies. It's not know yet how much protection antibodies provide or how long that immunity might last, and Cuomo cautioned that the data was preliminary. The sample of people tested was small. Participants were hastily recruited at shopping centers and grocery stores, meaning they were healthy enough to be out in public."

Katrin Bennhold of the New York Times: "As images of America's overwhelmed hospital wards and snaking jobless lines have flickered across the world, people on the European side of the Atlantic are looking at the richest and most powerful nation in the world with disbelief.... The pandemic sweeping the globe ... is shaking fundamental assumptions about American exceptionalism -- the special role the United States played for decades after World War II as the reach of its values and power made it a global leader and example to the world. Today it is leading in a different way: More than 840,000 Americans have been diagnosed with Covid-19 and at least 46,784 have died from it, more than anywhere else in the world.... And in the United States, [the pandemic] has exposed two great weaknesses that, in the eyes of many Europeans, have compounded one another: the erratic leadership of Mr. Trump, who has devalued expertise and often refused to follow the advice of his scientific advisers, and the absence of a robust public health care system and social safety net." ~~~

~~~ Yet There Will Be Heroes. Meagan Flynn of the Washington Post: "At his factory just off the Delaware River, in the far southeastern corner of Pennsylvania, Joe Boyce clocked in on March 23 for the longest shift of his life. In his office, an air mattress replaced his desk chair. He brought a toothbrush and shaving kit, moving into the Braskem petrochemical plant in Marcus Hook, Pa., as if it were a makeshift college dormitory. The casual office kitchen became a mess hall for him and his 42 co-workers turned roommates. The factory's emergency operations center became their new lounge room. For 28 days, they did not leave -- sleeping and working all in one place. In what they called a 'live-in' at the factory, the undertaking was just one example of the endless ways that Americans in every industry have uniquely contributed to fighting coronavirus. The 43 men went home Sunday after each working 12-hour shifts all day and night for a month straight, producing tens of millions of pounds of the raw materials that will end up in face masks and surgical gowns worn on the front lines of the pandemic." ~~~

Here's a partial response to a comment RAS made in yesterday's thread:

Danielle Garrand of CBS News: "Farmers around the country have been forced to dump milk and waste fresh produce as schools, restaurants and other institutions remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. In response, Supermarket chain Publix launched a new initiative Wednesday to help struggling farmers -- and get the food to Americans who need it most. The company's press release said it will purchase fresh produce and milk from farmers impacted by the COVID-19 crisis and donate the goods directly to Feeding America food banks that are in its 'operating area.' During the first week of the initiative alone, some 150,000 pounds of produce and 43,500 gallons of milk is expected to be donated, the company said.... In addition to the new initiative, Publix Super Markets Charities recently made donations which totaled $2 million to help Feeding America's member food banks amid the crisis." Mrs. McC: Publix is owned by its employees.

Jennifer Senior of the New York Times: "The president has decided he's had enough of running the country and is running full time for re-election instead. One could argue that this has been Donald J. Trump's approach from the start -- the last three years of shriek-tweeting, Fox-bingeing, and stadium rallies have had little to do with governance -- but it's much more obvious now that we're in the midst of a global emergency.... Trump's nightly news conferences, propaganda from the very beginning, are now aimed almost entirely at his base. They are campaign events. And ... the cable news outlets, which still carry the bulk of them live, ought ... check in with the Joe Biden camp before, during and after each one.... It would be harder to make the case for equal time for Biden if Trump were busy telling us what he's doing during these Potemkin pressers. But he's repeatedly telling us what he's not doing, because he's apparently responsible for nothing."

Sasha Pezenik of ABC News: "The eldest of ... Massachusetts Sen. Sen. Elizabeth Warren's three older brothers, Don Reed, died on Tuesday night from the coronavirus in Norman, Oklahoma, about three weeks after testing positive. He was 86.... Warren has been passionately outspoken about the pandemic's grip on the nation and world; and a vocal critic of the Trump administration's response to the COVID-19 crisis; releasing plans to combat its economic impact."

She Got Runned Over by a Damned Trump Bus. Greg Bluestein of the Atlanta Journal Constitution: "... Donald Trump's opposition to Gov. Brian Kemp's plan to start reopening parts of Georgia's economy will force Republican candidates to pick between their party's leader or the state&'s top official amid the coronavirus pandemic. That tension quickly factored into the race between U.S. Kelly Loeffler, Kemp';s appointee to the seat, and U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, whom Trump initially favored. Loeffler said Thursday she supports Kemp's 'efforts to begin to get Georgians back to work safely,' while Collins was critical of the governor.... In a quirk of timing, [Loeffler] joined the governor on a tele-town hall shortly before Trump's press briefing where she spoke of Kemp's approach as a needed step.... 'Poor Kelly did this to herself. She asked Brian to help her across the political street and they both got hit by a bus,' said Collins spokesman Dan McLagan. 'Which then got backed over them. And caught fire.'"

Bob Brigham of the Raw Story: "The husband of 'The View' personality Meghan McCain violated federal labor law while threatening employees of his right-wing website against unionizing. In 2019, Ben Domenech tweeted that that union organizing in his workplace would result in the employee being sent 'back to the salt mine.' 'FDRLST Media chief Ben Domenech's tweet was an "obvious threat" -- not a joke or an expression of opinion shielded by the First Amendment -- when viewed in light of workers' legally protected rights, Judge Kenneth Chu said Wednesday,' Bloomberg Law reports."

~~~~~~~~~~

Jeff Cox of CNBC: "Jobless claim filings continued at a historically unprecedented pace last week with 4.4 million new signups for unemployment insurance, bringing the total of the past five weeks to 26.4 million, the Labor Department said Thursday. The total represented a decline of 810,000 from the previous week, but the five-week sum has now surpassed all of the job gains since the financial crisis...."

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Thursday are here. "Lawmakers are gathering in Washington today to vote on a $484 billion coronavirus package that would revive a depleted loan program for distressed small businesses and provide funds for hospitals and coronavirus testing. But it will not provide money for state governments, even as governors across the country have had to divert resources to fight the virus while watching their revenue streams fall off a cliff.... Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, said that states should consider declaring bankruptcy rather than looking to the federal government.States do not now have the ability to declare bankruptcy to reduce their financial obligations, but Mr. McConnell raised the possibility of letting them do so."

Notes from Wednesday's Propaganda Briefing:

Here's Trump comparing the crowd he got for his speech last July 4th to crowds MLK used to get for his speeches pic.twitter.com/rwaO0YPj4G

-- Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 22, 2020

If we have embers of corona coupled with the flu, it's not going to be what we’ve gone through in any way, shape or form.... It's also possible it doesn't come back at all. -- Donald Trump, Wednesday's briefing

There will be coronavirus in the fall. -- Anthony Fauci, Wednesday's briefing ~~~

~~~ Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "The president's latest assertion seemed prompted by his anger with The Washington Post over an interview with Dr. Robert R. Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, published a day earlier. In that interview, Dr. Redfield warned that fall and winter would be taxing on Americans because influenza and the coronavirus would be circulating at the same time. 'He was misquoted,' Mr. Trump said.... On Wednesday, directed by the president to take the stage, Dr. Redfield said, 'When I commented yesterday that there was a possibility of next fall and winter, it could be more difficult, more complicated when we had two respiratory illnesses circulating at the same time.'... When pressed by reporters, Dr. Redfield said he had been accurately quoted." ~~~

~~~ Ashley Parker, et al., of the Washington Post: "Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, issued a candid warning Tuesday in a Washington Post interview: A simultaneous flu and coronavirus outbreak next fall and winter 'will actually be even more difficult than the one we just went through,' adding that calls and protests to 'liberate' states from stay-at-home orders -- as President Trump has tweeted -- were 'not helpful.' The next morning, Trump cracked down with a Twitter edict: Redfield had been totally misquoted in a cable news story summarizing the interview, he claimed, and would be putting out a statement shortly. By Wednesday evening, Redfield appeared at the daily White House briefing -- saying he had been accurately quoted after all, while also trying to soften his words as the president glowered next to him."

Uh-Oh. Trump Hangs Kemp Out to Dry. Dareh Gregorian of NBC News: "... Donald Trump said Wednesday he 'strongly disagrees' with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp's decision to allow businesses like barbershops and nail salons to reopen, a day after he praised him during the White House briefing. 'I told the governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, that I disagree strongly with his decision to open certain facilities,' Trump said at his daily coronavirus briefing Wednesday. 'But at the same time, he must do what he thinks is right. I want him to do what he thinks is right. But I disagree with him on what he's doing.' Kemp tweeted after the president's remarks that he appreciated Trump's 'bold leadership and insight during these difficult times,' but he didn't back down.... Asked about the same plan Tuesday, Trump praised Kemp as 'a capable man who knows what he's doing.'"

MSNBC: "President Trump said he did not know Dr. Rick Bright, a leading vaccine doctor who says he was ousted from his position for resisting the recommendation of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for the coronavirus by the Trump administration. Yet after further questioning, the president began to question Bright's experience." This is a caption for a video of portions of Trump's "briefing," which is worth watching. ~~~

~~~ Michael Shear & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "The official who led the federal agency involved in developing a coronavirus vaccine said on Wednesday that he was removed from his post after he pressed for rigorous vetting of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug embraced by President Trump as a coronavirus treatment, and that the administration had put 'politics and cronyism ahead of science.' Rick Bright was abruptly dismissed this week as the director of the Department of Health and Human Services' Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, and removed as the deputy assistant secretary for preparedness and response. He was given a narrower job at the National Institutes of Health. In a scorching statement, Dr. Bright, who received a Ph.D. in immunology and molecular pathogenesis from Emory University, assailed the leadership at the health department, saying he was pressured to direct money toward hydroxychloroquine, one of several 'potentially dangerous drugs promoted by those with political connections' and repeatedly described by the president as a potential 'game changer' in the fight against the virus." ~~~

~~~ From the New York Times' live updates Wednesday: "'I believe [my] transfer was in response to my insistence that the government invest the billions of dollars allocated by Congress to address the Covid-19 pandemic into safe and scientifically vetted solutions, and not in drugs, vaccines and other technologies that lack scientific merit,' [Bright] said in a statement to The Times's Maggie Haberman.... 'Specifically, and contrary to misguided directives, I limited the broad use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, promoted by the administration as a panacea, but which clearly lack scientific merit,' he said.... 'I will request that the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services investigate the manner in which this administration has politicized the work of BARDA and has pressured me and other conscientious scientists to fund companies with political connections and efforts that lack scientific merit,' he said." This is a follow-up to a STAT story linked yesterday. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Larry Elliott of the Guardian: "Donald Trump's botched handling of the Covid-19 crisis has left the US looking like a 'third world' country and on course for a second Great Depression, one of the world's leading economists has warned. In a withering attack on the president, Joseph Stiglitz said millions of people were turning to food banks, turning up for work due to a lack of sick pay and dying because of health inequalities. The Nobel prize-winning economist said: 'The numbers turning to food banks are just enormous and beyond the capacity of them to supply. It is like a third world country. The public social safety net is not working.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Lock Him Out! Gabby Orr of Politico: "As his own health officials continue to warn against nonessential travel, Trump has privately urged aides over the past week to start adding official events back to his schedule, including photo ops and site visits that would allow him to ditch Washington for a few hours. The day trips would be similar to those Vice President Mike Pence has made visiting businesses during the viral pandemic, according to three people familiar with the planning.... 'If there was a situation where the president was trying to violate his own guidelines, we would certainly have a conversation about that,' said an aide to Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers." (Also linked yesterday.)

Aram Roston & Melissa Taylor of Reuters: In late January, HHS Secretary Alex "Azar tapped a trusted aide with minimal public health experience to lead the agency's day-to-day response to COVID-19. The aide, Brian Harrison, had joined the department after running a dog-breeding business for six years. Five sources say some officials in the White House derisively called him 'the dog breeder.'... Harrison, 37, was an unusual choice, with no formal education in public health, management, or medicine and with only limited experience in the fields." Mrs. McC: I do think breeding labradoodles is excellent experience for running a massive effort to save the nation from a looming pandemic. Maybe the reason I would not be up to the task is that I had my dogs neutered.

Betsy DeVos Is So Sweet. From the NYT's live updates for today: "The Education Department will prohibit colleges from granting emergency assistance to undocumented students, even those currently under federal protection, according to guidance issued to colleges and universities on Tuesday. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos ordered higher education institutions to distribute more than $6 billion in emergency relief only to students who are eligible for federal financial aid, including U.S. citizens or legal residents. The directive effectively excluded the hundreds of thousands of students who attend college under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals -- or DACA -- program, an Obama-era policy that protects hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children. Mr. Trump has moved to end the program, but that effort is awaiting Supreme Court review." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Erin Banco & Spencer Ackerman of the Daily Beast: "A Silicon Valley company co-founded by a close ally of ... Donald Trump will play a major new role in helping the government track the spread of the coronavirus, pulling information that is being used by top administration officials, including the president himself. Palantir, the data-mining firm created by investor Peter Thiel, is best known for its work with global intelligence, military, and law enforcement agencies. Now, the company has a contract with the Department of Health and Human Services to help the federal government create a new data platform called HHS Protect Now.... Palantir's involvement in the creation of a new government coronavirus data platform system underscores the Trump administration's reliance on close political allies of the president to respond to the global pandemic. Thiel was Trump's earliest and highest-profile backer in Silicon Valley, and delivered a prime-time speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention."

Coalition of the Witless. Matt Dixon of Politico: "Republican governors across the Southeast are teaming up to reopen the region's economy, even as they lack the testing to know how rapidly the coronavirus is spreading. One health expert called the political decision a 'perfect storm' for the virus to reassert itself. The newly formed coalition includes Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi, a part of the country that has underfunded health systems, as well as high rates of obesity, diabetes and other illnesses that amplify the deadliness of the coronavirus. And unlike their peers in New York, New Jersey and other Northeastern states that have been working cooperatively since last week to restart their economies, the six in the South have lagged on testing and social distancing measures." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ William Wan, et al., of the Washington Post: "As several states -- including [Georgia,] South Carolina, Tennessee and Florida -- rush to reopen businesses, the sudden relaxation of restrictions will supply new targets for the coronavirus that has kept the United States largely closed down, according to experts, math models and the basic rules that govern infectious diseases.... Georgia, according to some models, is one of the last states that should be reopening. The state has had more than 830 covid-19 deaths. It has tested less than 1 percent of its residents -- low compared with other states and the national rate. And the limited amount of testing so far shows a high rate of positives at 23 percent."

Nevada. Michelle Price of the AP: "Nevada officials condemned comments Wednesday by Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman after she called for casinos and other nonessential businesses to reopen and suggested the city could serve as a test case to measure the impact during the coronavirus pandemic. One local official called her comments 'reckless and dangerous' and another described them as an 'embarrassment.' Goodman, during a 25-minute interview with Anderson Cooper on CNN, said she wants everything back open, including casinos, restaurants and small businesses, and a return of conventions.... Goodman for weeks has spoken out against Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak's orders shuttering casinos and nonessential businesses, calling it 'total insanity' that's 'killing Las Vegas.' Sisolak has repeatedly pushed back, saying that he understands the economic harm the order is causing but saving lives is more important.... The mayor said Wednesday that while she wants casinos to reopen, she offered no guidance on how they could do so safely and maintain social distancing, saying, 'That's up to them to figure out.'... She demurred when asked if she herself would enter a reopened casino, saying she has a family and doesn't gamble and is very busy. She also dismissed a Chinese study cited by Cooper showing the spread of COVID-19 in a restaurant, saying, 'This isn't China, this is Las Vegas, Nevada.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: I saw much of the interview, and it was in-sane. It seems nothing is Goodman's job except maybe taking calls from constituents who want to get back to work. Devise a plan to safely re-open casinos & hotels? Nope. Arrange for virus testing? Nope.

"Concierge Treatment" for the Rich. Emily Flitter & Stacy Cowley of the New York Times: "The federal government's $349 billion aid program for small businesses devastated by the coronavirus pandemic was advertised as first-come, first-served. As many business owners found out, it was anything but. That's because some of the nation's biggest banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Citibank and U.S. Bank, prioritized the applications of their wealthiest clients before turning to other loan seekers, according to half a dozen bank employees and financial industry executives who spoke on the condition of anonymity.... Some businesses seeking coronavirus loans got to avoid flaky online portals or backed-up queues.... The two-tiered system paid off for well-to-do customers: By the time the Paycheck Protection Program ran out of money last week, many top clients of national and regional banks had already had their loans approved." ~~~

~~~ Jeanna Smialek, et al., of the New York Times: "Hotels, luxury resorts and management companies that funnel money back to a single company [-- Ashford Inc. --] have secured about $53 million in federal virus aid, the largest known amount to benefit one firm and the latest example of how the government's small business relief program is also helping big companies.... Those companies reported in public filings that their hotels had received millions in forgivable loans through a government program meant to help small businesses. The so-called Paycheck Protection Program ran out of its initial $349 billion on April 16, leaving many small companies with no assistance."

Benedict Carey & James Glanz of the New York Times: "By the time New York City confirmed its first case of the coronavirus on March 1, thousands of infections were already silently spreading through the city, a hidden explosion of a disease that many still viewed as a remote threat as the city awaited the first signs of spring. Hidden outbreaks were also spreading almost completely undetected in Boston, San Francisco, Chicago and Seattle, long before testing showed that each city had a major problem, according to a model of the spread of the disease by researchers at Northeastern University who shared their results with The New York Times. Even in early February -- while the world focused on China -- the virus was not only likely to be spreading in multiple American cities, but also seeding blooms of infection elsewhere in the United States, the researchers found. As political leaders grappled in February with the question of whether the outbreak would become serious enough to order measures like school closures and remote work, little or no systematic testing for the virus was taking place." ~~~

~~~ Allyson Chiu & Teo Armus of the Washington Post: "At least two people who died in early and mid-February had contracted the novel coronavirus, health officials in California said Tuesday, signaling the virus may have spread -- and been fatal -- in the United States weeks earlier than previously thought. Tissue samples taken during autopsies of two people who died at home in Santa Clara County, Calif., tested positive for the virus, local health officials said in a statement. The victims died on Feb. 6 and Feb. 17, respectively. Initially, the nation's earliest coronavirus fatality was thought to have occurred on Feb. 29, in Kirkland, Wash., a suburb of Seattle that rapidly became a hot spot.... Additionally, the early deaths could mean covid-19 may have been misdiagnosed in many people early this year, Eric Topol, a geneticist and researcher who directs the Scripps Research Translational Institute, told The Post." The New York Times story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

William Frey of the Brookings Institution: "There is a stereotypical view of the places in America that COVID-19 has affected most: they are broadly urban, comprised predominantly of racial minorities, and strongly vote Democratic.... While that perception of high-prevalence areas was accurate during the earlier stages of the pandemic, COVID-19's recent spread has changed the picture. During the first three weeks of April, new counties showing a high prevalence of COVID-19 cases are more suburban, whiter, and voted more strongly for Donald Trump than counties the virus hit first. These findings result from a new analysis of counties with high COVID-19 prevalence rates (more than 100 confirmed cases per 100,000 population) based on data available from The New York Times and the U.S. Census Bureau."

Kyle Bagenstose, et al., of USA Today: "A rash of coronavirus outbreaks at dozens of meat packing plants across the nation is far more extensive than previously thought, according to an exclusive review of cases by USA Today and the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting. And it could get worse. More than 150 of America's largest meat processing plants operate in counties where the rate of coronavirus infection is already among the nation's highest, based on the media outlets' analysis of slaughterhouse locations and county-level COVID-19 infection rates. These facilities represent more than 1 in 3 of the nation's biggest beef, pork and poultry processing plants. Rates of infection around these plants are higher than those of 75% of other U.S. counties, the analysis found."

Zack Beauchamp of Vox: "Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, media critics have warned that the decision from leading Fox News hosts to downplay the outbreak could cost lives. A new study provides statistical evidence that, in the case of Sean Hannity, that's exactly what happened." This is another take on a Daily Beast report linked yesterday. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Abdi Dahir of the New York Times: "The coronavirus pandemic has brought hunger to millions of people around the world. National lockdowns and social distancing measures are drying up work and incomes, and are likely to disrupt agricultural production and supply routes -- leaving millions to worry how they will get enough to eat. The coronavirus has sometimes been called an equalizer because it has sickened both rich and poor, but when it comes to food, the commonality ends. It is poor people, including large segments of poorer nations, who are now going hungry and facing the prospect of starving.... This hunger crisis, experts say, is global and caused by a multitude of factors linked to the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing interruption of the economic order: the collapse in oil prices; widespread shortages of hard currency from tourism drying up; overseas workers not having earnings to send home; and ongoing problems like climate change, violence, population dislocations and humanitarian disasters." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

~~~ On the Other Hand. Seth Borenstein of the AP: "As people across the globe stay home to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, the air has cleaned up, albeit temporarily. Smog stopped choking New Delhi, one of the most polluted cities in the world, and India's getting views of sights not visible in decades. Nitrogen dioxide pollution in the northeastern United States is down 30%. Rome air pollution levels from mid-March to mid-April were down 49% from a year ago. Stars seem more visible at night. People are also noticing animals in places and at times they don't usually. Coyotes have meandered along downtown Chicago's Michigan Avenue and near San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. A puma roamed the streets of Santiago, Chile. Goats took over a town in Wales. In India, already daring wildlife has become bolder with hungry monkeys entering homes and opening refrigerators to look for food.... Researchers are tracking dramatic drops in traditional air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, smog and tiny particles. These types of pollution kill up to 7 million people a year worldwide, according to Health Effects Institute president Dan Greenbaum." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Presidential Race

Tal Axelrod of the Hill: "Former Vice President Joe Biden said he plans to announce the members of a selection committee who will help choose his running mate by May 1 as speculation continues to mount over his vice presidential pick.... Biden added that the committee will likely take until July to narrow the hunt for a vice president down to the top three contenders." (Also linked yesterday.)

NEW. Jonathan Stempel of Reuters: "Ten of the world's largest banks, including JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America, have been sued for allegedly conspiring over nearly 14 years to rig prices in the $9.6 trillion U.S. corporate bond market, costing ordinary investors billions of dollars.... The proposed class action filed on Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan said the banks have since August 2006 violated antitrust law by overcharging investors on 'odd-lot' trades, which are worth less than $1 million and comprise 90% of all corporate bond trading. Other defendants include Barclays, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Royal Bank of Scotland and Wells Fargo & Co, or their respective affiliates." --s

Comments

[NiskyGuy]

Regarding the "concierge treatment" and the PPP: I read the application for the PPP and encouraged my company to apply. I am not surprised that companies and organizations (erhm... Harvard...) applied because the restrictions were absolutely minimal. My colleagues were concerned about being fair to the system, and I think that was the perspective of at least some of the people who wrote the thing, but if one read the application with the attitude of "what can I get away with?" the SBA was your oyster. (Our application to our small local bank is still in the works, though we applied on the Monday after the program opened.)

My wife has been responsible for writing benefits policy for a reasonably smart constituency, and yet she would frequently get questions like "Why does it have to be so complicated" or "Why does it have so many rules and exceptions?" to which the answer was "So it will be as fair _as possible_ ."

Were some lawmerkers* aware that greedy people were going to pillage the first round of PPP? I don't know. But I do know that republicans tried really hard to keep the second round as naive as the first, and they knowingly did that, and that's just one more reason why I hope they like warm places, 'cause that's where they're gonna be spending eternity.

[Patrick]

Axios reports on the Biden campaign's talking points criticizing DiJiT's mismanagement of the virus response.

https://www.axios.com/joe-biden-trump-coronavirus-memo-e467bc02-c212-4eda-95e4-9132420fa37a.html

The "Four C's" seem a little weak to me. I think they ought to back up a bit in time, and point out how the entire administration has made a point of dismantling all types of "preparedness" planning and investment done by the Bush II and Obama administrations, plans which predicted this type of pandemic as inevitable. And that the GOP congresses have been guilty, sacrificing government Public Health capacity to "small government" ideology consistently for decades. (D's are not innocent, but can show that R's are REALLY guilty).

The campaign can also show that DiJiT's mismanagement style inevitably leads to failure to protect the people, by crippling the professional leaders who would undertake that responsibility. The virus is just the biggest example. And again, it is not just DiJiT but the whole idea that we can have a big, rich, complicated, world class country with a third-world amateur government.

I know it's hard to sell U.S. voters on "professionalism in government." But it seems that this year shows that amateurs really don't do as well, and in some cases can get YOU dead.

[PD Pepe]

Yesterday the White House acknowledged Earth Day in the usual way–-by planting a tree: This done by a shoveling of dirt by the President, and First Lady along with the Vice and spouse (who all have shovels). But this being a Trump W.H. even this act went awry since some bright bulb forgot to bring shovels for all so what we witnessed was "mother" quickly moving over to put her hands over Melania's on one shovel while Pence, in a move swift as a fly passing by, grasped Trump's shovel for a nano second, and there we had it–-the ritual completed––no fanfare, no nothin. The irony, of course, is while this ceremony was geared toward saving our planet from destruction we had the hands on those shovels doing just the opposite by their newest deregulations of climate mandates.

So let's Imagine a ceremony honoring a scientist–-let's call him Rick Bright––and days afterward he's fired from his job for acknowledging the truth about a virus procedure. Why? we ask and we get the usual from the person whose hand was on the shovel shoveling more dirt on anyone who tries to defy him.

"I don't know the man."

And I think of all the people (and things) he said he didn't know.

Yesterday I watched our neighbor's small white dog whose only outside ventures are within a large fenced area, escape through a gate that had been blown open by a fierce wind. He inched his way across our driveway and disappeared behind some tall pines. Something must have spooked him because suddenly he came darting out, ran back into his fenced- in area and went into his little doggie shelter–-back home–-safe–-home where the bone is. In contrast another dog in the neighborhood was allowed to roam the terrain freely without care and was killed last summer by a large truck.

It's a difficult time for everyone, obviously much more for those that are on the frontline and those that can't continue with their jobs but after reading yesterday's comments it's taking its toll on many of us and I join the others who give Marie kudos for continuing to give us all the news every day even though it makes us all gag.

And I'm wishing that others who are putting people's lives at risk would be like the little white dog who knew instinctively how to protect himself.

[Ken Winkes]

So The Turtle believes (mostly blue) states hit hard by Covid expenses should be allowed to declare bankruptcy.

Coming from a senator from one of the states' biggest takers, that's real "rich."

Kentucky ranks fifth in the ranking of the poor states living off the bounty of the rich. Of course Turtleman sees no problem at all with that.

https://wallethub.com/edu/states-most-least-dependent-on-the-federal-government/2700/

[Anonymous]

Forgive me if this was linked previously, didn't see it in a quick peruse. Jeffrey Zachs interviewed by Isaac Chotiner (New Yorker) about the C-19 crisis. Doesn't spare Obama for lack of follow through funding and praises Bush for PEPFAR. Is devastating to Trump.

"Trump is the worst political leader I have experienced in my professional life, which is forty years of working with governments at a high level."

"Where does the United States stand in this? Well, the united States has done the unimaginable, and that is try to cut the functioning of the W.H.O. in the middle of a pandemic. So I'm not looking for American heroism. I'm looking for the United States not to be among the most destructive forces on the planet right now."

https://bit.ly/2x18UI4

[Akhilleus]

A friend contemplating the outrageous idea of a so-called president and members of his death cult reopening public places and encouraging idiots to begin the exponential spread of death, willy-nilly across the land, sent me this tweet that references a famous movie based on a book written with the idea that money and fame are worth far more than human life to such as Trump:

“i owe the Jurassic Park franchise an apology, it is in fact very realistic the rich would reopen a park in spite of it consistently resulting in mass death”

The responses are priceless:

“If I can't go to a genetically engineered theme park and risk being eaten what is freedom for, even?!“

“ The park is also a multi-billion dollar business and a cornerstone of the local economy.

We need to reopen it NOW, I'm sure the dinosaurs will come back by themselves or we can make new ones.

LIBERATE JURASSIC PARK!”

“ I owe every disaster movie an apology too, I really thought that it was unrealistic for governments to ignore scientists during a time of crisis...I was wrong”

And two of my favorites:

“-There are no dinosaurs
-The dinosaurs are a hoax from the Democratic Party
-I saw the dinosaurs first.
-The dinosaurs are under control
-Only fat people are at risk being eaten
-We cannot allow the dinosaurs to attack our economy
-I am the best dinosaur hunter ever, ask anyone”

“My dinosaur press conferences are getting higher ratings than Monday Night Raw or the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions!”

Seriously, the idea that the idiot-in-Chief is STILL more concerned with his TV ratings than saving lives, even setting up a competition between himself and MLK (he beats all those uppity nee-groes), clearly a sop to his white supremacist supporters, is beyond the imagination of the most delusional writers of hyper dysfunctional societies. Making America Moronic Again (ie we voted for another ☠️ fool).

https://mobile.twitter.com/Relentlessbored/status/1252818020776333312

[PD Pepe]

So along with little white dogs, the Terrible Turtle and dinosaurs here is Jane Goodall on animal-human Kconnectectedness amid the pandemic. (with video & transcript).

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/jane-goodall-on-lessons-from-the-pandemic

[Patrick]

I posted this a few minutes ago and got thrown to SquareSpace. Weird.

Anyway -- stolen from Charlie Pierce's blog this afternoon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLcNStHTDjM

[Victoria]

@Patrick:
That was wonderful!!! Thank you. I feel much better now.
My sentiments exactly.

[PD Pepe]

@PATRICK–-bless you–-that is so funny and made my mister laugh out loud saying–-"now this is my kind of guy!"

and by the way the same thing is happening to me re: Square Space.

[PD Pepe]

"recently [ Publix] made donations which totaled $2 million to help Feeding America's member food banks amid the crisis." Mrs. McC: Publix is owned by its employees.

The best story ever and the last six words by Marie explains it all. When I first watched scenes of milk being thrown out and produce going to waste, I thought something has to be done about this–-that this is nuts!

[Marie Burns]

@Patrick & @PD Pepe: Vic seems upset.

Been having the same problem myself with that Squarespace thing. Thanks for letting me know it's happening to "real people." I'll put in a bug report with Squarespace. I found that if I hit the back arrow on the main task bar, it gets me back to Reality Chex, but I just had it happen against, and I lost my comment.

[Akhilleus]

A Dead (and I do mean dead) Giveaway

How can you tell Fatty’s idea for “reopening” the economy is completely nuts (aside from the fact that it’s his idea)?

It’s a hard date. A date plucked out of the air. May 1.

What, pray tell, makes this such a magical date? Will the Trump Virus up and disappear on May 1? Will a cure be found on April 30? Maybe the latest bleach and light cure?

A real plan takes into account a little thing like readiness. Things need to be lined up and everything in order. Did the allied high command pick June 6th as D-Day out of a hat? No. In fact, D-Day was supposed to have been June 5th but the weather wasn’t cooperating. Windy conditions, rough seas, and heavy cloud cover made an amphibious assault very dangerous, if not impossible. Things were not READY! If Fatty had been in charge he would have ordered the invasion to proceed anyway because no one tells him what to do, dammit.

Picking a date via the dart at the calendar method for shoving people out the door into certain death for many is what’s happening here. He needs to look like he’s in charge and he’s got this thing licked, so May 1st it is.

You might as well say “On July 25, I’ll suddenly be smart.” No need to read or study or any of that crap. The date for Fatty to suddenly become smart? Well, you all know the answer to that one.

I’ve cautioned myself many times to never underestimate how stupid this fucking guy is. A decision rewarded on a daily basis.