The Commentariat -- May 25, 2020

Afternoon Update:

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Monday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Monday are here.

Today's great vampire squid is the Trump administration, & the giant sucking sound you hear is the vampire squid hosing up your money & tossing it with all eight arms to the rich. ~~~

~~~ ** Jesse Drucker, et al., of the New York Times: "The Department of Health and Human Services has disbursed $72 billion in grants since April to hospitals and other health care providers through the bailout program, which was part of the CARES Act economic stimulus package. The department plans to eventually distribute more than $100 billion more. So far, the riches are flowing in large part to hospitals that had already built up deep financial reserves to help them withstand an economic storm. Smaller, poorer hospitals are receiving tiny amounts of federal aid by comparison. Twenty large recipients ... have received a total of more than $5 billion in recent weeks, according to an analysis of federal data by Good Jobs First, a research group. Those hospital chains were already sitting on more than $108 billion in cash, according to regulatory filings and the bond-rating firms S&P Global and Fitch.... After the CARES Act was passed in March, hospital industry lobbyists reached out to senior Health and Human Services officials to discuss how the money would be distributed.... The department then devised formulas to quickly dispense tens of billions of dollars to thousands of hospitals -- and those formulas favored large, wealthy institutions.... Hospitals that serve a greater proportion of wealthier, privately insured patients got twice as much relief as those focused on low-income patients with Medicaid or no coverage at all...."

Axios: "The World Health Organization is temporarily pausing tests of the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a coronavirus treatment in order to review safety concerns, the agency's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu said Monday.... The decision comes after a retrospective review published in The Lancet found that coronavirus patients who took hydroxychloroquine or its related drug chloroquine were more likely to die or develop an irregular heart rhythm that can lead to sudden cardiac death, compared to those who did nothing.... President Trump has touted the drug as a 'game-changer' and revealed last week that he had been taking it as a preventative against the coronavirus after consulting with the White House doctor."

Will Weissert of the AP: “Joe Biden made his first in-person appearance in more than two months on Monday as he marked Memorial Day by laying a wreath at a veterans park near his Delaware home.... Biden and his wife, Jill, laid a wreath of white flowers tied with a white bow, and bowed their heads in silence at the park. He saluted. 'Never forget the sacrifices that these men and women made,' he said after.... 'I feel great to be out here.' Biden told reporters, his words muffled through his black cloth mask. His visit to the park was unannounced and there was no crowd waiting for him. But Biden briefly greeted a county official and another man, both wearing face masks and standing a few feet away. Biden also yelled to another, larger group standing nearby, 'Thank you for your service.' His campaign says Biden has gone to the park for Memorial Day often in the past, though services were canceled Monday in the pandemic."

Darlene Superville of the AP: "... Donald Trump honored America's fallen service members on Monday as he commemorated Memorial Day in back-to-back appearances in the midst of the pandemic. 'Together we will vanquish the virus and America will rise from this crisis to new and even greater heights,' Trump said during a ceremony at Baltimore's historic Fort McHenry.... [At Arlington National Cemetery,] Trump, maskless as always in public, gave no remarks. He approached a wreath already in place, touching it and giving a salute. Trump then traveled to Baltimore, to the chagrin of the city's mayor, and noted that tens of thousands of service members and national guard personnel are currently 'on the front lines of our war against this terrible virus.... No obstacle, no challenge and no threat is a match for the sheer determination of the American people.'" Mrs. McC: Trump accidentally forgot to remember any of the 100,000 Americans who have died from Covid-19. Not even medical personnel & others who contracted the virus & died performing their essential jobs during the pandemic. On Memorial Day. ~~~

~~~ AND that's how Donald Trump spent his Memorial Day. So far. Plus this: ~~~

~~~ Alex Isenstadt & David Cohen of Politico: In a series of four tweets, "Donald Trump on Monday morning threatened to move August's Republican National Convention out of [Charlotte,] North Carolina unless there are guarantees the state will let everyone attend.... The tweet[s] amounted to a threat. The GOP convention is expected to draw tens of millions of dollars to North Carolina's economy, which has been devastated by the coronavirus. [Gov. Roy] Cooper [D] is facing reelection this fall, and his handling of the pandemic -- and his ability to bolster the state's economy -- is likely to be a key issue. Monday morning's tweets fit with the president's trend of attacking states governed by Democrats via Twitter over restrictions in those states and requests for federal assistance.... Mecklenberg County, which encompasses Charlotte, has emerged as a hot spot for the virus and the area has been reporting a growing number of cases." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Trump wrote that "@RoyCooperNC is still in Shutdown mood." Either he can't spell "mode" or he was thinking "MOOM."

"Much Very Good Information." Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post: "After a morning of golf, President Trump was up late Sunday night tweeting, this time about the reopening of America's schools.... At 10:41 p.m., Trump tweeted: 'Schools in our country should be opened ASAP. Much very good information now available. @SteveHiltonx @FoxNews'... Shortly before Trump tweeted, Steve Hilton of Fox News [was] urging schools to reopen 'schools now before you do even more needless damage.' He said wearing masks was 'fine' but compulsory temperature checks were 'unscientific nonsense' and 'totally pointless,' and social distancing rules were 'over-prescriptive' and 'arbitrary.'" A Daily Beast item is here. Mrs. McC: As far as I can tell from the Googles Hilton is not an epidemiologist or an educator or anything but a former British political hack. But much very good information.

AND contributor RAS came across this commentary on Trump's Memorial Weekend response to the nation's losses of life (see yesterday's Commentariat for context):

Via AZ Spot on Tumbler.

Simon Murphy of the Guardian: "Boris Johnson should sack Dominic Cummings over his 264-mile lockdown Durham trip, according to the chair of a leading doctors' association who has highlighted that medics are outraged at the actions of the prim minister's top aide. Dr Rinesh Parmar ... said Johnson's defence of his adviser risked undermining public trust and prompting people to use it as an excuse to break the rules themselves.... Downing Street is coming under increasing pressure over Cummings's behaviour, first revealed by a joint Guardian and Daily Mirror investigation, as the adviser now faces a possible police investigation.... One NHS doctor who works in a Covid-19 ward has pledged to resign by the end of the week if Cummings does not -- warning that others may follow suit."

~~~~~~~~~~~

New York Times Editors: There are "10 United States military installations across the South that were named for Confederate Army officers during the first half of the 20th century.... The namings reflect a federal embrace of white supremacy that found its most poisonous expression in military installations where black servicemen were deliberately placed under the command of white Southerners.... As the military opened more and more such bases across the country, the history notes, it 'actually spread federally sponsored segregation into areas where it had never before existed with the force of law.' In other words, the base names were part of a broad federal sellout to white supremacy that poisoned the whole of the United States.... Bases named for men who sought to destroy the Union in the name of racial injustice are an insult to the ideals servicemen and women are sworn to uphold -- and an embarrassing artifact of the time when the military itself embraced anti-American values. It is long past time for those bases to be renamed." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Ellen Berry of the New York Times on veterans who survived World War II but died at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home in Massachusetts. "With scarce protective gear and a shortage of staff, the facility's administrators combined wards of infected and uninfected men, and the virus spread quickly through a fragile population. Of the 210 veterans who were living in the facility in late March, 89 are now dead, 74 having tested positive for the virus. Almost three-quarters of the veterans inside were infected. It is one of the highest death tolls of any end-of-life facility in the country."

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Sunday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Sunday are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Jennifer Medina & Robert Gebeloff of the New York Times: "The [coronavirus] devastation ... has been disproportionately felt in blue America, which helps explain why people on opposing sides of a partisan divide that has intensified in the past two decades are thinking about the virus differently. Democrats are far more likely to live in counties where the virus has ravaged the community, while Republicans are more likely to live in counties that have been relatively unscathed by the illness, though they are paying an economic price. Counties won by President Trump in 2016 have reported just 27 percent of the virus infections and 21 percent of the deaths -- even though 45 percent of Americans live in these communities...."~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: So if you're wondering why Trump doesn't care about Covid-19, other than assuring that he himself doesn't get it, it's because the virus is killing more Democrats than Republicans. I wish I were kidding.

Justin Wise of the Hill: "Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Stephen Hahn on Sunday warned that the U.S. has to yet to contain the novel coronavirus, as states gradually reopen and people flock to parks and beaches during Memorial Day weekend.... 'It is up to every individual to protect themselves and their community,' he [said]. 'Social distancing, hand washing and wearing masks protect us all.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Adam Kelsey of ABC News: "As Americans continue to emerge from quarantines and stay-at-home orders amid the coronavirus pandemic, ... Donald Trump declared this week that 'we are not closing our country' if the United States is hit by a second wave of infections. But in an interview on ABC's "This Week" Sunday..., [Dr. Deborah Birx] said it is 'difficult to tell' whether such a step may be necessary." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Eleanor Mueller of Politico: "Places of worship 'may not be safe for those with preexisting conditions' despite orders from ... Donald Trump that they be allowed to reopen immediately, White House coronavirus coordinator Deborah Birx said Sunday. 'Although it may be safe for some to go to churches and social distance, it may not be safe for those with pre-existing conditions," Birx told Chris Wallace on 'Fox News Sunday.' 'That's why in "phase one" and "phase two," we've asked for those individuals with vulnerabilities to really ensure that they are protected and sheltering in place while we open up America.'" Mrs. McC: Doctor Debbie is still trying to find a balance between reality & trumpity. It's not working very well. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Mariel Padilla of the New York Times: "Environmental health and rodent control programs may see an increase in service requests related to 'unusual or aggressive' rodent behavior, the agency said on its website on Thursday. 'The rats are not becoming aggressive toward people, but toward each other,' Bobby Corrigan, an urban rodentologist who has both a master's degree and Ph.D. in rodent pest management, said on Sunday. 'They're simply turning on each other.'" Akhilleus was surprised to discover this story was not about the Trump Family Vermin.

Alan Suderman of the AP: "Nearly two weeks ago the White House urged governors to ensure that every nursing home resident and staff member be tested for the coronavirus within 14 days. It's not going to happen. A review by The Associated Press found that at least half of the states are not going to meet White House's deadline and some aren't even bothering to try. Only a handful of states, including West Virginia and Rhode Island, have said they've already tested every nursing home resident."

Arkansas. Zack Budryk of the Hill: “Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) defended the steps his state has taken to reopen even as it saw its largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases Thursday. 'We have to manage the risk,' Hutchinson said on 'Fox News Sunday.' 'We take the virus very seriously, it's a risk, it causes death, but you can't cloister yourself at home, that is just contrary to the American spirit.'" Mrs. McC: Huh. Apparently a shrug qualified as a defense. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

North Carolina. Jordan Green in the Raw Story: "The husband of the woman who leads the Reopen NC movement says people should be willing to kill, if necessary, to resist the 'New World Order' and emergency orders imposed by state government to contain the coronavirus pandemic.... [Adam] Smith said in ... videos [he posted to Facebook] that he feels called by God and by his understanding of the Constitution to prepare for a violent showdown.... Ashley Smith, the cofounder of Reopen NC and the movement's most visible leader, is organizing simultaneous rallies in five cities -- Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro, Asheville and Wilmington -- on Monday to commemorate Memorial Day and protest Gov. Roy Cooper's [D] handling of the coronavirus response. The rallies have attracted considerable support from Republican politicians...." (Also linked yesterday.)

More "Unusual & Aggressive" Rodent Behavior: ~~~

~~~ Annie Karni of the New York Times: "On a weekend when the nation was bracing for the approaching toll of 100,000 lives lost to the coronavirus and honoring the many more people who have died in wars, President Trump amplified a series of demeaning personal attacks from a supporter with a history of racist and sexist online commentary. Mr. Trump reposted eight tweets from John K. Stahl, a conservative former political candidate, including attacks on Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Stacey Abrams.... Among the posts Mr. Trump retweeted on Saturday, one accused Ms. Pelosi of wearing dentures and drinking 'booze on the job.' Another mocked Ms. Abrams's appearance by saying that she 'visited every buffet restaurant in the State' during her unsuccessful campaign for Georgia governor, and that [Joe] Biden would be 'a racist if he doesn't pick her' as his running mate. Mr. Trump also retweeted another post from Mr. Stahl that referred to Mr. Biden as 'Malarkey the Racist' and called Hillary Clinton ... 'HRC the Skank.'" ~~~

~~~ Anne Gearan of the Washington Post: "As the death toll in the coronavirus pandemic neared 100,000 Americans this Memorial Day weekend, President Trump derided and insulted perceived enemies and promoted a baseless conspiracy theory, in between rounds of golf.... He made little mention of the sacrifice Americans honor on Memorial Day or the grim toll of the virus.... Although Trump on Friday had called for worshipers to return to church in person this holiday weekend, the president did not. He played golf on Sunday morning.... A few protesters gathered at the golf club's exit on Sunday, chanting 'Stop killing us!' and holding up the arresting image of the front page of Sunday's New York Times: Rows of names of the coronavirus dead. Trump had also played golf at the club Saturday, the first time he had done so since early in the pandemic. During that outing, Trump was photographed without a mask and standing closer to golfing partners than recommended by health officials." A Vox story is here. ~~~

~~~ Craig Pittman of the Washington Post: The 2001 accidental death of Lori Kaye Klausutis "has captured the attention of the country's most prominent purveyor of conspiracy theories -- the president of the United States -- who has without evidence speculated that she might have been murdered and that the case should be reopened. The reason for President Trump's fixation: At the time of her death, Klausutis was working for ... [Then Rep.] Joe Scarborough [R-Fla.] ... who today, as host of MSNBC's Morning Joe, is a fierce critic of Trump.... 'A lot of interest in this story about Psycho Joe Scarborough,' Trump tweeted Sunday, the latest in a string of recent tweets on the matter in which the president has unleashed a torrent of false allegations, mischaracterizations and baseless rumors.... As with many such eruptions from the White House, there will probably be little if any consequence beyond, in this case, the collateral suffering of a private family...." ~~~

~~~ Justine Coleman of the Hill: "Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) called on President Trump to stop promoting the 'completely unfounded conspiracy' theory regarding the death of an intern for MSNBC 'Morning Joe' anchor Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman from Florida. The president on Sunday morning urged his followers in a tweet to read an article from conservative website True Pundit, which claimed that evidence showed foul play in the death of Lori Klausutis, 28, in 2001. 'Just stop,' Kinzinger responded.... 'Stop spreading it, stop creating paranoia. It will destroy us.'... Scarborough's wife and co-host, Mika Brzezinski, tweeted last week that she was going to speak to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey about getting the president banned from the platform in an apparent reaction to Trump's tweets about her husband."

Lapdogs, Not Watchdogs. Lisa Rein & Tom Hamburger of the Washington Post: Five times in the past two months, "Trump, chafing from oversight he perceived as criticism, replaced a career investigator with an appointee considered more loyal to the president. In three of the cases, Trump has installed new leadership drawn from the senior ranks of the agencies the inspectors general oversee. For the first time since the system was created in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, inspectors general find themselves under systematic attack from the president, putting independent oversight of federal spending and operations at risk as over $2 trillion in coronavirus relief spending courses through the government."

Back to Fox "News"? Thibault Larger of Politico: "Richard Grenell will step down as U.S. ambassador to Berlin in a few weeks, according to a report from German outlet Die Welt based on information from the German Press Agency.... Donald Trump in February called Grenell back to Washington to take over as head of U.S. intelligence on an interim basis, replacing former acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire. Grenell's term as Trump's top intelligence official is coming to an end. Last week, the U.S. Senate confirmed Texas Rep. John Ratcliffe to succeed Grenell in the job. In early March, the Daily Wire reported that Grenell had informed the White House that he did not wish to return to Berlin once his interim role in Washington was over." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Scott Stedman & Eric Levai of Forensic News: "According to documents exclusively obtained by Forensic News, a US government agency board member [David Zolet] working on a state-of-the-art communications network with Trump administration officials simultaneously served as a US Director for NSO Group, the infamous Israeli spyware company whose surveillance tools have been used by governments across the world to spy on dissidents and journalists.... NSO Group's tools include Pegasus, the most advanced mobile spyware in the world, as well as Phantom, a virtually identical tool built for the United States market.... [There has been] no available explanation why one of the directors of a foreign cyber-intelligence firm whose primary product is the most effective spyware tool in the world, would simultaneously be serving at a US government agency building a nationwide encrypted communication network, without disclosing that potential counterintelligence issue to the American public." --s ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: So is Zolet a spy for the U.S. or for Israel? For both, in a kind of economy-of-spies savings plan?

Elections 2020

Déjà vu All Over Again. Holly Otterbein of Politico: "Pennsylvania could determine the presidency. But it might not be clear for days who won the state on Nov. 3. Election officials throughout the critical battleground, which is implementing no-excuse mail-in voting for the first time ever amid a pandemic, say they are unlikely to finish counting those ballots the night of the general election.... Less than two weeks away from the state's [June 2] primary, some election officials in the state said they lack the needed funding and staff to handle the massive influx of mail-in ballots they've received for that race. They also said the fact that they legally can't start counting those ballots until the morning of Election Day is complicating matters. In addition to delaying a final tally, the chaos and confusion could sow distrust ahead of the general election and give fodder to those seeking to discredit its results." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: The odds are high that we won't know the presidential (and many other) election results the day after the election. And if you think the Florida vote count in 2000 was crooked (it was), we ain't seen nothin' like what we can expect from Trump & his team of rabid acolytes (Supremes included) during the time between the polls' closing & results being announced.

Senate Race. Alabama. Trump Projects Again. Justine Coleman of the Hill: "President Trump said in a new interview that Jeff Sessions wasn't 'mentally qualified' to be attorney general, and was a 'disaster' while in office." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Speaking of stuff named after famous confederates, it seems Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III is named after not one but two prominent traitors: confederate president Jefferson Davis & confederate general Pierre (P.G.T.) Beauregard. Luckily, Jeffbo has a vice of reason & rectitude to support him: ~~~

     ~~~ Rosemary Rossi of the Wrap: "Ann Coulter went on an early Sunday morning Twitter tear, calling ... Donald Trump 'the most disloyal actual retard that has ever set foot in the Oval Office.' The far-right media pundit and former Trump defender was triggered by the president's Friday tweet in which he called for Alabama voters to 'not trust Jeff Sessions' and instead put their support behind Sessions' Republican Senate seat challenger, football coach Tommy Tuberville.... And that set off Coulter, who called Trump a 'moron,' 'retard' and 'lout,' who was incapable of 'pretending to be' a 'decent, compassionate human being.'"

Florida. Amy Gardner of the Washington Post: "A federal judge has gutted a Florida state law requiring felons to pay all court fines and fees before they can register to vote, clearing the way for thousands of Floridians to register in time for the November presidential election. Republican lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) pushed the measure after Florida voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment in 2018 to expand voting rights to felons who have completed 'all terms of their sentence including probation and parole.'... The law, critics said, had made it virtually impossible for most felons to register, either because of an inability to pay or because the state offered no way for them to know what they owed or whether they had already paid. U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle agreed, likening the restrictive legislation to a tax and concluding that the state had not created a system that would allow felons to identify their financial obligations."

Way Beyond the Beltway

Hong Kong/China. Zen Soo of the AP: "Hong Kong police fired tear gas and a water cannon at protesters in a popular shopping district Sunday, as thousands took to the streets to march against China's move to impose national security legislation on the city. Pro-democracy supporters have sharply criticized a proposal, set to be approved by China's rubber-stamp parliament this week, that would ban secessionist and subversive activity, as well as foreign interference, in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. The pro-democracy camp says the proposal goes against the 'one country, two systems' framework that promises Hong Kong freedoms not found in mainland China." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Jacob Knutson of Axios: "White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien said on NBC's 'Meet the Press' Sunday that the U.S. government will likely impose economic sanctions on Hong Kong and China if Beijing moves ahead with a proposed national security law for Hong Kong that could constrain the special region's autonomy." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Anna Fifield of the Washington Post: "The United States should abandon its 'wishful thinking about changing China' and stop pushing the two countries 'to the brink of a new Cold War,' Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Sunday, trying to position Beijing as the grown-up in an increasingly fractious relationship.As tensions between the world's two largest economies mount by the day, Wang used a news conference during the annual piece of political theater known as the National People's Congress to send a direct message to Washington.... In a nod toward President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who have repeatedly suggested that the ruling Chinese Communist Party is a threat to the world, Wang said American politicians 'are taking China-U.S. relations hostage and pushing our two countries to the brink of a new Cold War.'"

Israel. David Halbfinger of the New York Times: "The long-awaited opening of proceedings in the matter of the State of Israel v. Benjamin Netanyahu took the prime minister and the country into uncharted and dangerous territory. Few sitting national leaders since Charles I of England have stood trial on criminal charges brought over their official acts. Mr. Netanyahu, who broke with tradition by not resigning to defend himself, is Israel's first. He is charged with bribery, breach of trust and fraud, accused of performing official favors worth a great deal to wealthy businessmen in exchange for two kinds of gifts. The material ones, including expensive cigars and Champagne, ran to hundreds of thousands of dollars in value, prosecutors said. The less-tangible ones -- control over how he was covered by two leading news outlets -- were, to a polarizing and image-conscious politician, priceless. The trial is expected to last a year or more, with the first witnesses not expected to testify for months."

The Commentariat -- May 24, 2020

Afternoon Update:

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Sunday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Sunday are here.

Justin Wise of the Hill: "Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Stephen Hahn on Sunday warned that the U.S. has to yet to contain the novel coronavirus, as states gradually reopen and people flock to parks and beaches during Memorial Day weekend.... 'It is up to every individual to protect themselves and their community,' he [said]. 'Social distancing, hand washing and wearing masks protect us all.'" ~~~

~~~ Adam Kelsey of ABC News: "As Americans continue to emerge from quarantines and stay-at-home orders amid the coronavirus pandemic, ... Donald Trump declared this week that 'we are not closing our country' if the United States is hit by a second wave of infections. But in an interview on ABC's "This Week" Sunday..., [Dr. Deborah Birx] said it is 'difficult to tell' whether such a step may be necessary." ~~~

~~~ Eleanor Mueller of Politico: "Places of worship 'may not be safe for those with preexisting conditions' despite orders from President Donald Trump that they be allowed to reopen immediately, White House coronavirus coordinator Deborah Birx said Sunday. 'Although it may be safe for some to go to churches and social distance, it may not be safe for those with pre-existing conditions," Birx told Chris Wallace on 'Fox News Sunday.' 'That's why in "phase one" and "phase two," we've asked for those individuals with vulnerabilities to really ensure that they are protected and sheltering in place while we open up America.'" Mrs. McC: Doctor Debbie is still trying to find a balance between reality & trumpity. It's not working very well.

Arkansas. Zack Budryk of the Hill: "Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) defended the steps his state has taken to reopen even as it saw its largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases Thursday. 'We have to manage the risk,' Hutchinson said on 'Fox News Sunday.' 'We take the virus very seriously, it's a risk, it causes death, but you can't cloister yourself at home, that is just contrary to the American spirit.'" Mrs. McC: Huh. Apparently a shrug qualified as a defense.

North Carolina. Jordan Green in the Raw Story: "The husband of the woman who leads the Reopen NC movement says people should be willing to kill, if necessary, to resist the 'New World Order' and emergency orders imposed by state government to contain the coronavirus pandemic.... [Adam] Smith said in ... videos [he posted to Facebook] that he feels called by God and by his understanding of the Constitution to prepare for a violent showdown.... Ashley Smith, the cofounder of Reopen NC and the movement's most visible leader, is organizing simultaneous rallies in five cities -- Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro, Asheville and Wilmington -- on Monday to commemorate Memorial Day and protest Gov. Roy Cooper's [D] handling of the coronavirus response. The rallies have attracted considerable support from Republican politicians...."

Senate Race. Alabama. Trump Projects Again. Justine Coleman of the Hill: "President Trump said in a new interview that Jeff Sessions wasn't 'mentally qualified' to be attorney general, and was a 'disaster' while in office."

Back to Fox "News"? Thibault Larger of Politico: "Richard Grenell will step down as U.S. ambassador to Berlin in a few weeks, according to a report from German outlet Die Welt based on information from the German Press Agency.... Donald Trump in February called Grenell back to Washington to take over as head of U.S. intelligence on an interim basis, replacing former acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire. Grenell's term as Trump's top intelligence official is coming to an end. Last week, the U.S. Senate confirmed Texas Rep. John Ratcliffe to succeed Grenell in the job. In early March, the Daily Wire reported that Grenell had informed the White House that he did not wish to return to Berlin once his interim role in Washington was over."

Zen Soo of the AP: "Hong Kong police fired tear gas and a water cannon at protesters in a popular shopping district Sunday, as thousands took to the streets to march against China's move to impose national security legislation on the city. Pro-democracy supporters have sharply criticized a proposal, set to be approved by China's rubber-stamp parliament this week, that would ban secessionist and subversive activity, as well as foreign interference, in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. The pro-democracy camp says the proposal goes against the 'one country, two systems' framework that promises Hong Kong freedoms not found in mainland China." ~~~

~~~ Jacob Knutson of Axios: "White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien said on NBC's 'Meet the Press' Sunday that the U.S. government will likely impose economic sanctions on Hong Kong and China if Beijing moves ahead with a proposed national security law for Hong Kong that could constrain the special region's autonomy."

New York Times Editors: There are "10 United States military installations across the South that were named for Confederate Army officers during the first half of the 20th century.... The namings reflect a federal embrace of white supremacy that found its most poisonous expression in military installations where black servicemen were deliberately placed under the command of white Southerners.... As the military opened more and more such bases across the country, the history notes, it 'actually spread federally sponsored segregation into areas where it had never before existed with the force of law.' In other words, the base names were part of a broad federal sellout to white supremacy that poisoned the whole of the United States.... Bases named for men who sought to destroy the Union in the name of racial injustice are an insult to the ideals servicemen and women are sworn to uphold -- and an embarrassing artifact of the time when the military itself embraced anti-American values. It is long past time for those bases to be renamed."

Déjà vu< All Over Again. Holly Otterbein of Politico: "Pennsylvania could determine the presidency. But it might not be clear for days who won the state on Nov. 3. Election officials throughout the critical battleground, which is implementing no-excuse mail-in voting for the first time ever amid a pandemic, say they are unlikely to finish counting those ballots the night of the general election.... Less than two weeks away from the state's [June 2] primary, some election officials in the state said they lack the needed funding and staff to handle the massive influx of mail-in ballots they've received for that race. They also said the fact that they legally can't start counting those ballots until the morning of Election Day is complicating matters. In addition to delaying a final tally, the chaos and confusion could sow distrust ahead of the general election and give fodder to those seeking to discredit its results." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: The odds are high that we won't know the presidential (and many other) election results the day after the election. And if you think the Florida vote count in 2000 was crooked (it was), we ain't seen nothin' like what we can expect from Trump & his team of rabid acolytes (Supremes included) during the time between the polls' closing & results being announced.

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~ For a readable version, here's a pdf via the NYT. ~~~

~~~ John Grippe of the New York Times: "Instead of the articles, photographs or graphics that normally appear on the front page of The New York Times, on Sunday, there is just a list: a long, solemn list of people whose lives were lost to the coronavirus pandemic."

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Saturday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Saturday are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

** The Big Grift, Ctd. Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times: "Many Americans understand that Trump bungled the public health response to the coronavirus, but polls suggest that they don't appreciate the degree to which Trump and Congress also bungled the economic response -- or manipulated it to benefit those who least need help.... While ... Trump and his allies in Congress seek to tighten access to food stamps, they are showing compassion for one group: zillionaires. Their economic rescue package quietly allocated $135 billion ... for the likes of wealthy real estate developers. [The average benefit to these developers is $1.6 million.] My Times colleague Jesse Drucker notes that Trump himself, along with ... Jared Kushner, may benefit financially from this provision.... A single mom juggling two jobs gets a maximum $1,200 stimulus check -- and then pays taxes so that a real estate mogul can receive $1.6 million.... The fine print was mysteriously slipped into the March economic relief package, even though it has nothing to do with the coronavirus and offers retroactive tax breaks for periods long before Covid-19 arrived. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Representative Lloyd Doggett of Texas, both Democrats, have asked the Trump administration for any communications that illuminate how this provision sneaked into the 880-page bill.... The House of Representatives is trying to repeal the Zillionaire Giveaway, but Trump and his congressional allies are resisting." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

The federal government needs to get its s@#t together. -- Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, in a tweet March 14 ~~~

~~~ ** Greg Miller, et al., of the Washington Post: "In the final days before the United States faced a full-blown epidemic, President Trump made a last-ditch attempt to prevent people infected with the coronavirus from reaching the country. 'To keep new cases from entering our shores,' Trump said in an Oval Office address on March 11, 'we will be suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days.'... Harrowing scenes of interminable lines and unmasked faces crammed in confined spaces [at airports] spread across social media. The images showed how a policy intended to block the pathogen's entry into the United States instead delivered one final viral infusion. As those exposed travelers fanned out into U.S. cities and suburbs, they became part of an influx from Europe that went unchecked for weeks and helped to seal the country's coronavirus fate. Epidemiologists contend the U.S. outbreak was driven overwhelmingly by viral strains from Europe rather than China.... The travel mayhem was triggered by many of the same problems that plagued the U.S. response to the pandemic from the outset: Early warnings were missed or ignored. Coordination was chaotic or nonexistent. Key agencies fumbled their assignments. Trump's errant statements undermined his administration's plans and endangered the public." This is a damning report of how Trump & his administration, which should have known better after the chaos caused by his Muslim ban, exacerbated the coronavirus pandemic. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Debbie Donnie. Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "Of all of the times that White House coronavirus task force member Deborah Birx has said things clearly intended for President Trump's benefit, few were as transparent as her comments on Friday afternoon. She was walking through the improvements in the rate of spread of the coronavirus, drawing attention to regions still at risk. 'I'm going to call your attention to the top three states, the top three states with the largest percent,' she said -- 'and this is so you can all make your decisions about going outside, and social distancing, potentially playing golf if you're very careful and you don't touch the flags and all of those issues.... A bit later, she ... [said,] 'So we're asking continuously for you all to be outside. To enjoy your Memorial Day weekend. To play golf.'... A few seconds later: 'Please, as you go out this weekend to understand, you can go out, you can be outside...,' she said.... And lo, a report from the White House press pool on Saturday morning: 'President Trump is returning to the golf course on this pleasant, sunny Saturday,' it read." Mrs. McC: Okay, she added, as afterthoughts, you could play tennis or go to the beach. And go ahead, take a hike, Tony Fauci. A less caustic CNN story about Trump's golf outing is here. ~~~

~~~ Dan Friedman of Mother Jones: "... Donald Trump, who in 2014 attacked Barack Obama for golfing during an Ebola outbreak that ultimately took the lives of two Americans, hit the links on Saturday as the number America deaths attributed to coronavirus neared 100,000.... Trump traveled Saturday by motorcade from Washington, DC, to Sterling, Virginia, locales in which stay-at-home orders leave golf off limits to regular residents. It was his first golf outing since March 8, but also his 250th as president. As he often does, Trump played at one of his own courses, a practice that helps promote his floundering hospitality business and forces the Secret Service to spend taxpayer funds at Trump properties."

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times unmasks the MOOM: "... Trump is afraid his followers will think he's a wimp if he wears [a mask], that he's conceding the danger of a pandemic many in MAGA-land think is exaggerated or some sort of hoax. The mask should be a medical signal, not a political one. But Trump rejects the mask because of a misbegotten image of masculinity and power. In denying the mask, he denies reality, science and the fact that the country is in a crouch.... Even as Trump tries to paint Joe Biden as gaga, he is doing something truly gaga: He is running the government that is responding to the worst pandemic in a century at the same time he is the leader of the resistance to his own government, urging people and states to open up whenever they see fit, recommending Clorox injections, stifling Dr. Fauci, refusing to wear the mask." Mrs. McC: One of Dowd's better columns, IMO.

Apoorva Mandavilli of the New York Times: "A vaccine developed in China appears to be safe and may protect people from the new coronavirus, researchers reported on Friday. The early-stage trial, published in the Lancet, was conducted by researchers at several laboratories and included 108 participants aged 18 to 60. Those who received a single dose of the vaccine produced certain immune cells, called T cells, within two weeks." However, the report lists numerous caveats that suggest the initial trial indicates the vaccine may be of limited value, especially to the most at-risk populations.

Florida. Langston Taylor of the Tampa Bay Times: "Going further than previous comments that led to her ouster this week, a former data manager for Florida's Department of Health said Friday that a top official directed her to change data to downplay the threat of COVID-19 in rural counties leading up to the reopening of the state. In text messages to the Tampa Bay Times, Rebekah Jones said the Deputy Secretary for Health, Dr. Shamarial Roberson, directed her to 'manipulate' data used in the state's plan to lift stay-at-home orders. That reopening plan was first presented by Gov. Ron DeSantis during an April 29 news conference. Jones said the manipulated data was included in that presentation."

Florida Man. Kaelan Deese of the Hill: "A Florida man who spat and coughed on a police officer after claiming to have COVID-19 was indicted on federal terrorism charges. A federal grand jury in Tampa returned the indictment Wednesday against James Jamal Curry, 31, for committing a biological weapon hoax, a local CBS affiliate in Miami reported." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Michigan. Alana Wise of NPR: "Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Friday said President Trump had directly threatened the health and safety of her state's residents through his coronavirus response, including his recent refusals wear a mask in public and defense of those protesting stay-at-home orders. 'He has risked the health, safety and welfare of everyone who lives in this state, and I will not remain silent and just twiddle my thumbs as I see him do that,' Nessel told NPR's All Things Considered. His choice not to wear a mask, she said, 'sends the worst possible message at the worst possible time.'... Trump, who traveled to Michigan Thursday, called Nessel 'The Wacky Do Nothing Attorney General of Michigan,' in a tweet after she, on CNN, compared the president to a 'petulant child' for not wearing a mask during most of his visit this week to a Ford Motor Co. plant.'" Mrs. McC: Nessel was on CNN Saturday night, too. She said Trump "comes up with 'policies' at 2 am after getting a text message from Sean Hannity or something." (Slight paraphrase.) Of course I liked her immediately.

Minnesota. Kaelan Deese of the Hill: "A reporter was allegedly harassed for wearing a mask outside an Albany, Minn., tavern's reopening that turned into a protest following a judge's move to impose a restraining order keeping the bar shut.... In video footage captured from the event, two women appeared to be chanting, 'Take it off!' at [KARE 11 reporter Lou] Raguse, referring to a mask he was wearing. Sounds of coughing could be heard as protesters followed him while he walked away from the scene.... The reopening of the tavern was intended to be a celebration before Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit and requested an injunction by Stearns County Judge William Cashman to stop its reopening. The gathering of 200 people outside the tavern quickly became a protest of the judge's order. Reopening the tavern would have directly violated Democratic Gov. Tim Walz's 'Stay Safe Minnesota' order...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Missouri. Contact Tracing. Faith Karimi of CNN: "Two Missouri hairstylists potentially exposed 140 clients to coronavirus when they worked for up to eight days this month while symptomatic, health officials said. The Springfield-Greene Health Department announced Saturday that a second hairstylist tested positive for coronavirus, and may have exposed 56 clients at the same Great Clips salon. A day earlier, it had said another hairstylist with coronavirus at the same salon potentially exposed 84 customers and seven coworkers."

North Dakota. GOP Governor: Wear a Mask! Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: North Dakota's Republican governor "Doug Burgum on Friday offered a plea to stop the madness. Burgum suggested the debate over masks was being needlessly politicized and that those who are bucking federal health officials' guidance should rethink their posture. 'I would really love to see in North Dakota that we could just skip this thing that other parts of the nation are going through where they're trading a divide -- either it's ideological or political or something -- around masks versus no mask,' Burgum said. 'This is a, I would say, senseless dividing line, and I would ask people to try to dial up your empathy and your understanding.... If someone is wearing a mask, they're not doing it to represent what political party they're in or what candidates they support,' Burgum said, before his voice began breaking. 'They might be doing it because they've got a 5-year-old child who's been going through cancer treatments. They might have vulnerable adults in their life who currently have covid, and they're fighting.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) A TPM story is here.

Pride in the Time of Coronavirus. A Semicentennial. JD Shadel in the Washington Post: "... this June ... will mark a half-century since activists assembled for the first-ever gay-pride marches through the streets of New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco.... Because of the coronavirus pandemic, more than 475 Pride events have been canceled or postponed. Now, to go on at all, Trans Pride Seattle and dozens of other celebrations are scrambling to digitize.... 'The idea of a year without Pride was unacceptable,' said Cathy Renna, communications director for the National LGBTQ Task Force and an organizer for the most ambitious online project of all, a sweeping broadcast called Global Pride... slated for July 27.... So far, about 350 Prides have indicated their desire to participate, allowing organizers to spotlight queer hot spots.... The event will feature political speakers, musical performances, celebrity cameos, stories from locals and possibly, to encourage engagement, at-home videos shared by participants."

New Zealand. Damien Cave of the New York Times: "Pandemics are often described as crises of communication, when leaders must persuade entire populations to suspend their lives because of an invisible threat. Watching [New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda] Ardern on Facebook, her favored conduit, is a lesson in rhetorical blending: epidemiology brightened with empathy, law leavened with mom jokes. And it has been strikingly effective." Here's how Ardern coaxed New Zealanders to adhere to a severe, country-wide lockdown:

~~~ AND, BTW, here's how Donald Trump encouraged Americans to face the disease:

The Judge Gets a Lawyer. Carol Leonnig & Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "The federal judge who refused a Justice Department request to immediately drop the prosecution of former Trump adviser Michael Flynn has hired a high-profile trial lawyer to argue his reasons for investigating whether dismissing the case is legally or ethically appropriate. In a rare step that adds to this criminal case's already unusual path, U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan has retained Beth Wilkinson to represent him in defending his decision to a federal appeals court in Washington, according to a person familiar with the hire who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. The U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is now examining the judge's actions and the larger case against Flynn after lawyers for President Trump's former national security adviser asked the court to force Sullivan to toss Flynn's guilty plea." A Law & Crime story is here.

Space Farce. Bryan Bender of Politico: "The United States Space Force..., the newest branch of the American military, first championed by ... Donald Trump two years ago, tried to generate some serious headlines this month with its first recruiting commercial, an otherworldly 30-second spot summoning volunteers 'to plan for the possible while it's still impossible.' Instead, it was ambushed by the trailer for Steve Carell's much-awaited Netflix series 'Space Force,' which came out just hours earlier.... In a country stuck at home watching TV, starved for new content, the absurd comedy is one of the more exciting cultural events of the season, a 'The Office'-style lampooning stuffed with big names -- Carell, Lisa Kudrow, John Malkovich, Jane Lynch, Noah Emmerich and Jimmy O. Yang.... It's fair to say that the first new military branch in 73 years is at serious risk of being eclipsed entirely by a workplace parody.... The show is already the watercooler chatter of the year among Pentagon brass and at the far-flung bases where the real Space Force is being carved out of the Air Force." ~~~

Elections 2020

Washington Post Editors: "Out of Ukraine this week came audio recordings that have every appearance of a Kremlin scheme to tar ... Joe Biden. The president's son, Donald Trump Jr., who welcomed Russian aid against Hillary Clinton in 2016, tweeted them out and implied they were damning -- though in fact there is absolutely nothing damning about them. Meanwhile, Republican congressional leaders did their part to advance the myth that Mr. Biden's activities in Ukraine were scandalous. The recordings came from Andriy Derkach, a Ukrainian lawmaker connected to the Russian intelligence services. Mr. Derkach said they show that Mr. Biden in 2015 pressured then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to help Burisma, [a Ukrainian company that employed Biden's son as a board member].... In fact, nowhere in the highly edited audio files does Mr. Biden discuss Burisma or his son.... Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, this week led his panel to authorize a subpoena of records related to Burisma and Hunter Biden, and he has said he wants to release a report on the matter before the election.... It is perverse that Mr. Johnson and the Trump camp seek to warp that good turn into an election-year liability for Mr. Biden. Their apparent lack of concern about the prospect of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with malign foreign actors is even more disgraceful."

Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "Senator Elizabeth Warren, whose full-throated opposition to high-dollar fund-raising events was a central tenet of her presidential campaign, has agreed to host such a gathering of donors for Joseph R. Biden Jr., the presumptive Democratic nominee, who is considering her to be his running mate.The online event is set to take place on June 15, according to three people with knowledge of the plans.... During her presidential run, Ms. Warren explicitly vowed not to attend private fund-raisers or dial up rich donors.... Ms. Warren built a network of high-dollar donors as a senator from Massachusetts and previously attended fund-raising events, building up her own campaign war chest before she entered the Democratic presidential race."

No, These Worrywarts Aren't Nuts. Trump Is. Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "A group of worst-case scenario planners -- mostly Democrats, but also some anti-Trump Republicans -- have been gaming out how to respond to various doomsday options for the 2020 presidential election.... The [doomsday-planners'] anxiety has intensified in recent weeks as the president continues to attack the integrity of mail voting and insinuate that the election system is rigged, while his Republican allies ramp up efforts to control who can vote and how.... [Joe] Biden ... has suggested more than once that Mr. Trump might try to disrupt or delay the election.... Marc Elias..., who leads the Democratic National Committee's legal efforts to fight voter suppression efforts..., [believes the biggest] threat ... is the possibility that the Trump administration could act in October to make it harder for people to vote in urban centers in battleground states -- possibilities, he said, that include declaring a state of emergency, deploying the National Guard or forbidding gatherings of more than 10 people." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Hey, don't give Trump any ideas. You can bet he, Javanka, Karl Rove & maybe others already are gaming out ways to "win" if Trump loses.

Elise Viebeck of the Washington Post: "The coronavirus pandemic is rapidly transforming this year's elections, changing the way tens of millions of people cast ballots and putting thousands of election officials at the center of a pitched political fight as they rush to adapt with limited time and funding. In a watershed moment for American voting, nearly 30 states have changed rules or practices for this year's primaries or the general election in response to the public health threat posed by covid-19, according to a tally by The Washington Post. The new policies affect roughly 86.6 million registered voters -- including more than 40 million people who now have the temporary right to cast an absentee ballot because of the virus.... The largely bipartisan wave of change has been hit by political turbulence as President Trump raises unfounded doubts about the security of voting by mail and threatens to punish states where Democratic leaders are facilitating it." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: If we had a decent Supreme Court, which we don't, it would take up one of these suits wending its way through the courts & tell Donald Trump to STFU & get the hell out of the way. ~~~

~~~ News Flash: Darryl Issa Is Still a Jerk. Jeremy White of Politico: "Republican congressional candidate Darrell Issa and a conservative group [Judicial Watch] are suing to block California's move to an all-mail November election. They are legally challenging Gov. Gavin Newsom's directive that elections officials mail every registered voter a ballot for the November election, making California the first state to switch to vote by mail due to coronavirus concerns. Newsom called the move a necessary response to the pandemic since voters at crowded vote centers could be exposed if they cast in-person ballots." Issa is the Republicans' nominee in California's 50th Congressional district. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

The Commentariat -- May 23, 2020

Afternoon Update:

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Saturday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Saturday are here.

GOP Governor: Wear a Mask! Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: North Dakota's Republican governor "Doug Burgum on Friday offered a plea to stop the madness. Burgum suggested the debate over masks was being needlessly politicized and that those who are bucking federal health officials' guidance should rethink their posture. 'I would really love to see in North Dakota that we could just skip this thing that other parts of the nation are going through where they're trading a divide -- either it's ideological or political or something -- around masks versus no mask,' Burgum said. 'This is a, I would say, senseless dividing line, and I would ask people to try to dial up your empathy and your understanding.... If someone is wearing a mask, they're not doing it to represent what political party they're in or what candidates they support,' Burgum said, before his voice began breaking. 'They might be doing it because they've got a 5-year-old child who's been going through cancer treatments. They might have vulnerable adults in their life who currently have covid, and they're fighting.'"

Minnesota. Kaelan Deese of the Hill: "A reporter was allegedly harassed for wearing a mask outside an Albany, Minn., tavern's reopening that turned into a protest following a judge's move to impose a restraining order keeping the bar shut.... In video footage captured from the event, two women appeared to be chanting, 'Take it off!' at [KARE 11 reporter Lou] Raguse, referring to a mask he was wearing. Sounds of coughing could be heard as protesters followed him while he walked away from the scene.... The reopening of the tavern was intended to be a celebration before Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit and requested an injunction by Stearns County Judge William Cashman to stop its reopening. The gathering of 200 people outside the tavern quickly became a protest of the judge's order. Reopening the tavern would have directly violated Democratic Gov. Tim Walz's 'Stay Safe Minnesota' order....

Florida. Kaelan Deese of the Hill: "A Florida man who spat and coughed on a police officer after claiming to have COVID-19 was indicted on federal terrorism charges. A federal grand jury in Tampa returned the indictment Wednesday against James Jamal Curry, 31, for committing a biological weapon hoax, a local CBS affiliate in Miami reported."

** The Big Grift, Ctd. Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times: "Many Americans understand that Trump bungled the public health response to the coronavirus, but polls suggest that they don't appreciate the degree to which Trump and Congress also bungled the economic response -- or manipulated it to benefit those who least need help.... While ... Trump and his allies in Congress seek to tighten access to food stamps, they are showing compassion for one group: zillionaires. Their economic rescue package quietly allocated $135 billion ... for the likes of wealthy real estate developers. [The average benefit to these developers is $1.6 million.] My Times colleague Jesse Drucker notes that Trump himself, along with his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, may benefit financially from this provision.... A single mom juggling two jobs gets a maximum $1,200 stimulus check -- and then pays taxes so that a real estate mogul can receive $1.6 million.... The fine print was mysteriously slipped into the March economic relief package, even though it has nothing to do with the coronavirus and offers retroactive tax breaks for periods long before Covid-19 arrived. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Representative Lloyd Doggett of Texas, both Democrats, have asked the Trump administration for any communications that illuminate how this provision sneaked into the 880-page bill.... The House of Representatives is trying to repeal the Zillionaire Giveaway, but Trump and his congressional allies are resisting."

The federal government needs to get its s@#t together. -- Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, in a tweet March 14 ~~~

~~~ ** Greg Miller, et al., of the Washington Post: "In the final days before the United States faced a full-blown epidemic, President Trump made a last-ditch attempt to prevent people infected with the coronavirus from reaching the country. 'To keep new cases from entering our shores,' Trump said in an Oval Office address on March 11, 'we will be suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days.'... Harrowing scenes of interminable lines and unmasked faces crammed in confined spaces [at airports] spread across social media. The images showed how a policy intended to block the pathogen's entry into the United States instead delivered one final viral infusion. As those exposed travelers fanned out into U.S. cities and suburbs, they became part of an influx from Europe that went unchecked for weeks and helped to seal the country's coronavirus fate. Epidemiologists contend the U.S. outbreak was driven overwhelmingly by viral strains from Europe rather than China.... The travel mayhem was triggered by many of the same problems that plagued the U.S. response to the pandemic from the outset: Early warnings were missed or ignored. Coordination was chaotic or nonexistent. Key agencies fumbled their assignments. Trump's errant statements undermined his administration's plans and endangered the public." This is a damning report of how Trump & his administration, which should have known better after the chaos caused by his Muslim ban, exacerbated the coronavirus pandemic.

News Flash: Darryl Issa Is Still a Jerk. Jeremy White of Politico: "Republican congressional candidate Darrell Issa and a conservative group [Judicial Watch] are suing to block California's move to an all-mail November election. They are legally challenging Gov. Gavin Newsom's directive that elections officials mail every registered voter a ballot for the November election, making California the first state to switch to vote by mail due to coronavirus concerns. Newsom called the move a necessary response to the pandemic since voters at crowded vote centers could be exposed if they cast in-person ballots." Issa is the Republicans' nominee in California's 50th Congressional district.

~~~~~~~~~~

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Friday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Friday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Alayna Treene of Axios: "President Trump announced Friday that he was declaring churches and places of worship as 'essential places that provide essential services,' and said that he would override governors to allow them to open 'right now.'... 'Some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential, but have left out churches and other houses of worship. It's not right,' Trump said from the White House podium." Mrs. McC: Trump took no questions & of course he didn't elaborate on what authority a president* has to "override governors." Because Article II, I guess. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

The most frightening thing about Trump's threat to order churches reopened isn't that he has the power to do that -- he doesn't. It's that Republican judges will be emboldened to order churches reopened now that the president is calling for it. -- Ian Millhiser of Vox, in a tweet (via LG&$) ~~~

~~~ Peter Baker of the New York Times: "Mr. Trump ... [read] from a prepared text before leaving after just about a minute without taking questions. The White House could not explain what power the president actually has to override the governors, and legal experts said he did not have such authority, but he could take states to court on religious freedom grounds, which could be time consuming. Attorney General William P. Barr ... has been threatening legal action against California.... Mr. Trump took a far more confrontational approach on Friday than his public health advisers. After delays and revisions ordered by the White House, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released nonbinding guidelines for places of worship to reopen while still advising them to act 'in accordance with the guidance and directives of state and local author.'" ~~~

~~~ So like, this would seem to be out: ~~~

~~~ Elana Schor of the AP: "... Donald Trump's declaration that religious services should be 'essential' comes at a precarious point in the national balancing act that pits the call of worship against the risk of coronavirus. Even before Trump's comments Friday, which came alongside the release of guidance for reopening faith organizations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Christian leaders in several states made plans to welcome back congregants on the week of Pentecost, May 31. The new CDC guidance could energize houses of worship that might want to reopen their doors, despite evidence of ongoing risk of the virus spreading through communal gatherings. While it suggests steps such as asking congregants to cover their faces and limiting the sharing of worship aids, the CDC document says it is 'not meant to regulate or prescribe standards for interactions of faith communities.'" ~~~

~~~ Because here's what happened when some Americans went to church during the pandemic: ~~~

~~~ Jill Colvin of the AP: "Twice this week, Trump has not only dismissed the findings of studies but suggested -- without evidence -- that their authors were motivated by politics and out to undermine his efforts to roll back coronavirus restrictions. First it was a study funded in part by his own government's National Institutes of Health that raised alarms about the use of hydroxychloroquine, finding higher overall mortality in coronavirus patients who took the drug while in Veterans Administration hospitals.... The Lancet, one of the world's oldest and most well respected medical journals, published a new study Friday that echoed those findings. 'If you look at the one survey, the only bad survey, they were giving it to people that were in very bad shape. They were very old, almost dead,' Trump told reporters Tuesday. 'It was a Trump enemy statement.' He offered similar pushback Thursday to a new study from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. It found that more than 61% of COVID-19 infections and 55% of reported deaths -- nearly 36,000 people -- could have been been prevented had social distancing measures been put in place one week sooner.... 'Columbia's an institution that's very liberal,' Trump told reporters Thursday. 'I think it's just a political hit job, you want to know the truth.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Roger Cohen of the New York Times: "The European Union, that entity with a stubborn heartbeat, has emerged better from the pandemic than China or the United States. The fear-driven Chinese cover-up of the coronavirus and the chaotic denialism of the Trump administration have been the two main contributors to the disaster.... This is the Age of Undoing -- of world order, of international law, of truth, of America's word. It is a dangerous time, as Germany knows better than any nation. Autocracy feeds on fear, misery, resentment and lies. It did in the 1930s; it does now. Better to love your country with a broken heart than to love it blind." Thanks to P.D. Pepe for the link. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: I have long cringed at the notion of "American exceptionalism." I did not fully imagine how far down that embarrassing, xenophobic concept would take us nor how quickly, but here we are. And the country can descend further. Politicians will never stand up to exceptionalists, many or most of whom are nationalists in see-through disguise. Rather, even relatively liberal democrats like Barack Obama embrace the myth of American exceptionalism, although liberal politicians will temper it a bit with aspirations for improvement. We have been carefully taught.

Monica Hesse of the Washington Post: "... a lot of bonkers behavior can be overlooked when it's committed by a man in a suit at a lectern." ~~~

How to testing pic.twitter.com/y9iwLK0N12

— Sarah Cooper (@sarahcpr) May 9, 2020

     ~~~ Also watch Cooper's "How to Medical" at the WashPo link above. (If you don't have a WashPo subscription, here's the Twitter link for "How to Medical.") Thanks to Ken W. for the links.

Reid Wilson of the Hill: "In an interview with The Hill, Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), urged caution and said the rapid development of a safe and effective vaccine was not guaranteed.... Vaccine candidates, even promising ones, fail more often than they succeed, [Fauci indicated].... Fauci said he was 'fairly certain' that if production is started this summer and ramped up, 'you could have 100 million doses by the end of the year and maybe a couple of hundred million doses by the beginning of next year.' 'I mean that's aspirational,' he said. 'The companies think that they can do that with the right financial backing.'... Fauci declined to comment on President Trump's decision to take hydroxychloroquine, a drug that studies show is actually associated with higher death rates among those who take it."

Laura Reiley of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration withdrew one of the largest contracts in its signature effort to use farm surplus to feed hungry Americans, capping a chaotic process that industry experts say relied too heavily on companies with little demonstrated experience in farming, food chains or food banks. Contracts totaling more than $107 million went to a San Antonio event planner, an avocado mail-order company, a health-and-wellness airport kiosk company and a trade finance corporation, according to the Agriculture Department's announcement of contract awards. But the USDA bypassed the country's three largest food distribution companies, as well as nonprofit organizations with long histories of feeding the poor on a large scale, according to Tom Stenzel, president of the United Fresh Produce Association (UFPA).... The contracts were awarded under the Farmers to Families Food Box program, launched last week with a visit by Ivanka Trump to a Laurel, Md., wholesale produce company. About $1.2 billion in contracts have been awarded." Mrs. McC: Obviously, food is rotting & people are going hungry unnecessarily because the Trump administration can't do anything right. But, hey, all that matters is that Ivanka got a nice photo-op out of it. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Yet Another Trumpy Grifter. Yeganeh Torbati & Derek Willis of ProPublica: "A former White House aide won a $3 million federal contract to supply respirator masks to Navajo Nation hospitals in New Mexico and Arizona 11 days after he created a company to sell personal protective equipment.... Zach Fuentes..., Donald Trump's former deputy chief of staff, secured the deal with the Indian Health Service with limited competitive bidding and no prior federal contracting experience. The IHS told ProPublica it has found that 247,000 of the masks delivered by Fuentes' company -- at a cost of roughly $800,000 -- may be unsuitable for medical use. An additional 130,400, worth about $422,000, are not the type specified in the procurement data, the agency said. What's more, the masks Fuentes agreed to provide -- Chinese-made KN95s -- have come under intense scrutiny from U.S. regulators amid concerns that they offered inadequate protection."

** Doctor Trump, Medicine Man, Ctd. Ariana Cha & Laurie McGinley of the Washington Post: "A study of 96,000 hospitalized coronavirus patients on six continents found that those who received an antimalarial drug promoted by President Trump as a 'game changer' in the fight against the virus had a significantly higher risk of death compared with those who did not. People treated with hydroxychloroquine, or the closely related drug chloroquine, were also more likely to develop a type of irregular heart rhythm, or arrhythmia, that can lead to sudden cardiac death, it concluded." This story is free to nonsubcribers. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Joseph Goldstein & Jesse McKinley of the New York Times: "Even as doctors and scientists around the world race to develop treatments and vaccines for Covid-19, New York State has become the center of a parallel effort to investigate an unnerving aspect of the outbreak: an illness that is sickening a small but growing number of children. The ailment has now been reported in at least 161 children in New York[, three of whom died], making the state's caseload one of the largest publicly reported anywhere. Hundreds of other children across the United States and in Europe have also been sickened with the illness, now called multisystem inflammatory syndrome.... The inquiries into why it is occurring, and whether a treatment can be found, could have an impact on how the authorities handle the reopening of schools and other activities for children."

Joel Achenbach, et al., of the Washington Post: "The coronavirus may still be spreading at epidemic rates in 24 states, particularly in the South and Midwest, according to new research that highlights the risk of a second wave of infections in places that reopen too quickly or without sufficient precautions.... Some states have had little viral spread or 'crushed the curve' to a great degree and have some wiggle room to reopen their economies without generating a new epidemic-level surge in cases. Others are nowhere near containing the virus. The [study's] model, which has not been peer reviewed, shows that in the majority of states, a second wave looms if people abandon efforts to mitigate the viral spread.... Other models released in recent days captured a similarly mixed picture." The main model cited, created by Imperial College London, is explained here. Mrs. McC: Either I'm too dense or the report is too dense, but I found it too difficult for the casual reader to follow.

California. Garcetti Hurt Trump's Feelings. Brooke Seipel of the Hill: "Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti received a letter from the Trump administration on Friday warning extended or 'heavy-handed' stay-at-home orders may be illegal. 'Reports of your recent public statements indicate that you suggested the possibility of long-term lockdown of the residents in the City and County of Los Angeles, regardless of the legal justification for such restrictions, reads the letter addressed to Garcetti and Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer. 'Any such approach may be both arbitrary and unlawful.'... The letter from the Trump administration comes a day after Garcetti swiped at Trump for not wearing a face mask at many of his public outings. Asked during an interview with MSNBC about Trump's decision against wearing a face mask, Garcetti responded: 'Simply put, I say real men wear face masks.'" Not specified in the Hill story who signed the retribution letter.

New York. Bernard Condon, et al., of the AP: "More than 4,300 recovering coronavirus patients were sent to New York's already vulnerable nursing homes under a controversial state directive that was ultimately scrapped amid criticisms it was accelerating the nation's deadliest outbreaks, according to a count by The Associated Press.... Whatever the full number, nursing home administrators, residents' advocates and relatives say it has added up to a big and indefensible problem for facilities that even Gov. Andrew Cuomo -- the main proponent of the policy -- called 'the optimum feeding ground for this virus.'... Cuomo, a Democrat, on May 10 reversed the directive, which had been intended to help free up hospital beds for the sickest patients as cases surged. But he continued to defend it this week...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Geoff Bennett & Monica Alba of NBC News: "It's been more than six months since ... Donald Trump claimed to have started his annual physical at Walter Reed hospital but the White House is declining to explain why he has yet to complete the yearly doctor's examination ... despite Trump announcing this week he was taking an unproven and potentially dangerous drug after being exposed to an aide who tested positive for coronavirus."

Matt Zapotosky & Devlin Barrett of the Washington Post: "FBI Director Christopher A. Wray has ordered an internal review of how the bureau handled its investigation of Michael Flynn..., the bureau said in a statement Friday. The review, which will be handled by the FBI's inspection division, will both seek to 'determine whether any current employees engaged in misconduct' and evaluate broader FBI policies and procedures to 'identify any improvements that might be warranted,' the statement said. The review is unusual, particularly because Attorney General William P. Barr already had commissioned St. Louis U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen earlier this year to examine the handling of Flynn's case. The statement said the FBI's review will 'complement' that work, and Jensen's examination will take priority. Jensen is one of a number of U.S. attorneys whom Barr has commissioned to investigate matters of interest to [Donald] Trump." Mediaite has an item here.

John Hudson & Paul Sonne of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration has discussed whether to conduct the first U.S. nuclear test explosion since 1992 in a move that would have far-reaching consequences for relations with other nuclear powers and reverse a decades-long moratorium on such actions, said a senior administration official and two former officials familiar with the deliberations. The matter came up at a meeting of senior officials representing the top national security agencies May 15, following accusations from administration officials that Russia and China are conducting low-yield nuclear tests -- an assertion that has not been substantiated by publicly available evidence and that both countries have denied."

Annie Karni of the New York Times: "... on Friday, Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, did not just reveal that the president was sending his salary to the Department of Health and Human Services to help 'support the efforts being undertaken to confront, contain and combat the coronavirus.' She also displayed the president's private bank account and routing numbers.... For an average civilian, that information could be used to withdraw or deposit money, make online purchases or hack an account.... A bank was almost certain to have additional protections in place on the account of a high-profile person like the president." Mrs. McC: So if you've been laid off or otherwise financially damaged by the coronoavirus, it seems completely legit for you to arrange for Donald J. Trump to transfer some of his ill-gotten gains into your account. If you're questioned, just say McEnany made clear, by the very nature of the donation, that Trump wants to help you.

Presidiential Race

Quint Forgey of Politico: "Former Vice President Joe Biden told a popular black radio personality Thursday that he 'ain't black' if he was still weighing whether to support ... Donald Trump in November's general election -- provoking outrage from the White House's Republican allies and inducing queasiness among even some Democratic operatives." Mrs. McC: Chuck Todd was very upset by Biden's remark. I'm not. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Astead Herndon & Katie Glueck of the New York Times: "Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. ... apologized Friday afternoon for telling a radio host that black voters torn between voting for him and President Trump 'ain't black,' remarks that ignited a firestorm online. 'I shouldn't have been such a wise guy,' Mr. Biden said in a call with the U.S. Black Chambers. 'I shouldn't have been so cavalier.'" Mrs. McC: Sorry. If you're still trying to decide between Biden & Trump, you ain't black, you ain't female, you ain't woke, you ain't hardly a human bean. ~~~

~~~ Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post: "What has been described as a 'testy exchange' between the popular African American interviewer [Charlamagne tha God] with 2.1 million Twitter followers and the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee was nothing of the sort.... When heard in the context of the previous 17 minutes and 21 seconds, you know that Biden is joking around. Perhaps he got a little too comfortable talking to a community with which he has a strong relationship that spans decades." ~~~

Lisa Lerer, et al., of the New York Times: "The lawyer for Tara Reade, the former Senate aide who has accused Joseph R. Biden Jr. of sexual assault, said Friday that he was no longer representing her, just two weeks after taking her on as a client.The lawyer, Douglas H. Wigdor, has been a leading plaintiff's attorney of the #MeToo era. His firm is best known for bringing discrimination cases against Fox News -- and its former star host Bill O'Reilly -- and Harvey Weinstein, and his presence at Ms. Reade's side gave her claims added legal heft.... Mr. Wigdor, a conservative Republican [who supported] ... President Trump in 2016 ..., had a parting shot for the news media.... 'Much of what has been written about Ms. Reade is not probative of whether then-Senator Biden sexually assaulted her, but rather is intended to victim-shame and attack her credibility on unrelated and irrelevant matters,' he said." (This is an update of a story linked early yesterday.) A Politico story is here.

~~~ Gabby Orr of Politico: "The anxiety over Trump's standing with the Christian right surfaced after a pair of surveys by reputable outfits earlier this month found waning confidence in the administration's coronavirus response among key religious groups, with a staggering decline in the president's favorability among white evangelicals and white Catholics. Both are crucial constituencies that supported Trump by wide margins in 2016 and could sink his reelection prospects if their turnout shrinks this fall. The polls paint a bleak picture for Trump, who has counted on broadening his religious support by at least a few percentage points to compensate for weakened appeal with women and suburban populations.... To safeguard his relationship with religious conservatives, Trump on Friday demanded that America's governors permit houses of worship to immediately reopen, and threatened to 'override' state leaders who decline to obey his directive." ~~~

      ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Joe Biden, BTW, is an actual, practicing white Roman Catholic. If you're still trying to decide between Biden & Trump, you ain't Catholic. ~~~

~~~ Trump Prefers Fake Polls. Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "Every once in a while, President Trump tweets something like this: '96% Approval Rating in the Republican Party. Thank you!'... He doesn't offer a source for the purported poll number because there is literally no evidence that a source exists. For more than a year, Trump's just occasionally shared random assessments of his popularity within his party, never offering any explanation for where the figure came from.... Unlike any real poll number, the figure never goes down, only up. This is as good a sign as any that Trump's just making this up. Real polling shows that Trump's approval with Republicans, while high, is substantially less than 96 percent.... [Poor] poll results from Trump's favorite network [Fox 'News'] clearly stung. The next tweet after Trump shared his fake 96 percent approval rating was one disparaging Fox's legitimate poll as fake. '.FoxNews should fire their Fake Pollster. Never had a good Fox Poll!'"

Annals of Journalism, Ctd. Justin Baragona of the Daily Beast: "Fox News anchor Chris Wallac debunked ... Donald Trump's false claims that fraud is rampant in mail-in voting, noting on Friday morning that there is simply no evidence to support the president's assertions. With Trump threatening to withhold federal funds from Nevada and Michigan if they went forward with sending absentee ballots and applications to voters, Wallace -- who has been a favorite target of Trump's -- pointed out that the president's repeated complaints about mail-in voting are largely baseless."

Congressional Races

Alabama. Dennis Romero of NBC News: "Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions stood up to his old boss Friday after ... Donald Trump encouraged Alabama voters to reject Sessions in his bid to return to the U.S. Senate. Trump on Friday afternoon once again tweeted his endorsement for Sessions' rival, college football coach Tommy Tuberville, in the primary contest for the seat Sessions held before joining Trump's Cabinet. Trump tweeted, 'Alabama, do not trust Jeff Sessions.'... Sessions responded ... on Twitter, 'Your personal feelings don't dictate who Alabama picks as their senator, the people of Alabama do.'... Sessions and Tuberville finished neck and neck in March in a Republican primary, setting up the July 14 runoff contest. The winner of the runoff will face Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., in November."

California. AP: "National and state Republicans have withdrawn their support from a California congressional candidate over offensive online posts about Muslims and Hillary Clinton that he says are not his words. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy has called the posts disturbing but has not withdrawn his endorsement of Ted Howze, who is facing freshman Democrat Josh Harder in the farm belt's swing 10th District. However, McCarthy said in a statement that he 'will take action immediately if Mr. Howze is found to be the originator of these posts.'... Howze said he was the target of 'maliciously false attacks...,' [which] he attributed ... to 'national Democrats and their left-wing media' who see him as a threat to Harder, who ousted Republican Rep. Jeff Denham in 2018."

Georgia. Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: "President Trump's advisers are increasingly concerned about Senator Kelly Loeffler's campaign in Georgia, a newly competitive state where the president's own poll numbers have tightened against former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., according to people briefed on the discussions. Ms. Loeffler, a financial services executive with no previous government experience, was appointed to the position in December 2019 [by Gov. Brian Kemp] after the long-serving Republican, Johnny Isakson, announced he would retire for health reasons. She is running in a special election for the seat this fall, facing nearly two dozen candidates in the jumbled race, including two well-financed Democrats. One opponent in particular -- Representative Doug Collins, a Republican ally of Mr. Trump -- has gained strength in the field.... Because the field is so crowded, Georgia officials expect no candidate to get a majority, forcing a runoff. And the president's team is planning to stay out of the race until the runoff approaches, which wouldn't be until January 2021, according to the people briefed on the discussions."

Oregon. Will Steakin & Meg Cunningham of ABC News: "Republicans in Oregon this week nominated a Senate candidate [-- Jo Rae Perkins --] with a deep history of promoting and vowing support for the QAnon conspiracy theory, providing the fringe movement its largest electoral platform yet and roiling Republicans over having a candidate who openly embraces baseless conspiracy theories.... When asked about supporting Perkins in the general election, the Republican National Committee did not comment. The Oregon state Republican Party issued a lukewarm and seemingly reluctant statement saying, 'By virtue of being the GOP nominee, this is what we do - support them in winning the general election.' The National Republican Senatorial Committee would not express support for Perkins and instead responded when asked with a list of unrelated allegations against Democratic Senate candidates before saying 'and THIS is what ABC News is focused on.'"

South Carolina. Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post: "A new ad out today from LindseyMustGoPAC, a super PAC with an obvious objective, uses the three-term senator's own words to dramatize what happened to [Lindsey] Graham in an effort to destroy his credibility and sow doubts about his character." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

Ted Johnson of Deadline: "A federal judge in San Diego dismissed One America News Network's defamation lawsuit against Rachel Maddow, MSNBC and Comcast, concluding that Maddow was stating her opinion when she said that the right-leaning channel 'really, literally is paid Russian propaganda.' [U.S. District Judge Cynthia Bashant] also said that the defendants could seek attorneys fees and costs.... Herring Networks, the owner of One America, said that it would appeal."

Way Beyond the Beltway

Valerie Pacheco of AFP: "Brazilians got a shocking look Friday at an expletive-laced meeting between President Jair Bolsonaro and his cabinet when a Supreme Court judge released a video at the center of an investigation targeting the far-right leader. The April 22 cabinet meeting is under scrutiny by prosecutors probing allegations by former justice minister Sergio Moro that Bolsonaro tried to interfere in federal police investigations. But it could prove just as damaging to Bolsonaro's 18-month-old government for other sordid details it contains. They include the president using profanity to insult governors, the education minister calling to throw Supreme Court justices in jail and the environment minister urging the government to legalize mining and farming in the Amazon rainforest while the world is distracted by the coronavirus pandemic. The video came to light when Moro resigned two days after the meeting. In a damaging final press conference, the then-justice minister, a popular anti-corruption crusader, accused Bolsonaro of 'political interference' in the federal police." Mrs. McC: Obviously Bosonaro, like Trump, suffers from Ditator Personality Disorder.