The Commentariat -- April 9, 2020
Late Morning Update:
Mike Wants to Be on the Teevee. Oliver Darcy of CNN: "Vice President Mike Pence's office has declined to allow the nation's top health officials to appear on CNN in recent days and discuss the coronavirus pandemic ... in an attempt to pressure the network into carrying the White House's lengthy daily briefings in full. Pence's office, which is responsible for booking the officials on networks during the pandemic, said it will only allow experts such as Dr. Deborah Birx or Dr. Anthony Fauci to appear on CNN if the network televises the portion of the White House briefings that includes the vice president and other coronavirus task force members.... After Trump leaves the podium, CNN frequently cuts out of the White House briefing to discuss and fact-check what the President had said.... The Vice President's office has blocked all CNN appearances since last Thursday night."
Kaitlan Collins, et al., of CNN: "... Donald Trump is preparing to announce a second coronavirus task force solely focused on reopening the nation's economy, multiple sources told CNN."
Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "When an inspector general issued a report in December saying the investigation [into Russia interference in the 2016 presidential election] was properly founded, [AG Bill] Barr put out an extraordinary statement disagreeing with that. And now, Barr has gone quite a bit further.... 'What happened to him [Trump] was one of the greatest travesties in American history,' Barr said in a clip played on Fox News on Wednesday night. 'Without any basis, they started this investigation of his campaign, and even more concerning actually is what happened after the campaign -- a whole pattern of events while he was president ... to sabotage the presidency -- or at least have the effect of sabotaging the presidency.'" ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Let's see: (1) Trump & Co. conspired with Russians, engaged in more conspiracies to cover up this & other conspiracies, lied a lot, & used Russian hacks against his opponent; (2) DOJ investigated but let Trump & most of his cronies off; (3) the "travesty" is the investigation. Either I'm crazy or Bill Barr is.
Patricia Cohen & Tiffany Hsu of the New York Times: "Another 6.6 million people filed for unemployment benefits last week as the coronavirus outbreak continued its devastating march through the American economy, the Labor Department reported on Thursday. The release came as the Federal Reserve said it could pump $2.3 trillion into the economy through new and expanded programs it announced on Monday, ramping up efforts to help companies and state and local governments suffering financially amid the coronavirus.... In just three weeks, more than 16 million U.S. workers have lost their jobs -- more losses than the most recent recession produced over two years." A CNBC story is here.
Jacob Pramuck of CNBC: "Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked a Republican push to unanimously pass a bill to put $250 billion more into a loan program for small businesses devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. With only a few senators in the Capitol, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tried to move the measure by a unanimous vote. Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., objected to the request, stalling the legislation.... After Cardin rejected the measure, he called McConnell's move to pass the funding a 'political stunt.' He pushed for provisions including funding for Small Business Administration disaster assistance grants.... Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., then tried to unanimously pass a Democratic amendment. McConnell blocked it, and the Senate adjourned until Monday after a roughly 30-minute pro forma session."
IOKIYVote for Trump. Jonathan Chait: "'Mail-in voting is horrible. It's corrupt,' declared President Trump earlier this week. When a reporter asked how he could reconcile that position with the fact that he had personally voted by mail in the last election, Trump replied, 'Because I'm allowed to.' This perfectly circular logic -- if more voters were permitted to vote by mail, they would also be 'allowed to' -- seemed not to satisfy him. Trump has refined his view, explaining that casting a ballot by mail is fine for members of the military and senior citizens, but is 'ripe for fraud' when used by others[.]... Trump is not even attempting to formulate a facially neutral principle. He is simply asserting that members of the military and senior citizens -- constituencies that lean Republican -- can be trusted not to commit voter fraud, but that constituencies that might vote Democratic cannot.... (Trump campaign officials already confirmed this to Politico -- they will allow mail voting for senior citizens, but not others.) The travesty that was Tuesday's election in Wisconsin is his plan to win in November." Chait argues that Democrats don't seem to get what's going on & are about to miss their chance to leverage a "correction." ~~~
~~~ The Trump Model Works! Ed Kilgore of New York: "... seven states that generally discourage voting by mail but waive excuse requirements for Republican-leaning old folks are Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Coincidentally or not, these are all deep-red states carried by Trump in 2016, most of them by large margins (Texas, which went MAGA by nine points, was the closest). They appear to provide Trump's model for the country as a whole."
~~~~~~~~~~
Presidential Race
** Sydney Ember of the New York Times: "Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont dropped out of the Democratic presidential race on Wednesday, concluding a quest for the White House that began five years ago in relative obscurity but ultimately elevated him as a champion of the working class, a standard-bearer of American liberalism and the leader of a self-styled political revolution. Mr. Sanders's exit from the race establishes former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. as the presumptive nominee to challenge President Trump, and leaves the progressive movement without a prominent voice in the 2020 race.... With the public health emergency preventing both candidates from holding in-person campaign events, Mr. Sanders spent the last several weeks on the sidelines, delivering addresses via live stream and making occasional television appearances, while facing calls from fellow Democrats to exit the race and help unify the party behind Mr. Biden. Though Mr. Biden had been careful not to pressure Mr. Sanders, he had begun to move ahead as if the race were over, taking steps, for example, to begin his search for a running mate." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Holly Otterbein & David Siders of Politico: Sen. Sanders "announced his decision during an all-staff conference call Wednesday morning. The Vermont senator told his aides that this was not just a presidential campaign, but a movement, and to be proud of what they've accomplished." The Washington Post's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Dan Merica of CNN: "Former President Barack Obama played an active, albeit private, role in th Democratic presidential primary that effectively ended on Wednesday when Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders dropped out of the race. Obama and Sanders spoke multiple times in the last few weeks as the Vermont senator determined the future of his campaign, a source familiar with the conversation tells CNN. Sanders' decision to get out on Wednesday paves the way for Joe Biden ... to become the Democratic nominee.
Axios: "Joe Biden released a lengthy statement on Wednesday commending the progressive movement built by Bernie Sanders, who has officially suspended his campaign for president.... The end of the Sanders campaign means that Biden is the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. Biden, who is seeking to win over Sanders' loyal supporters in the fight to defeat President Trump, was glowing in his praise for his last remaining challenger's campaign, which he said 'changed the dialogue in America.'" The post includes Biden's full statement. Biden's statement first appeared in Medium.
Trump Encourages Voter Suppression Because It Helps Republicans. Quint Forgey of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Wednesday directed Republicans to 'fight very hard' against efforts to expand mail-in voting amid the coronavirus pandemic.... 'Republicans should fight very hard when it comes to statewide mail-in voting. Democrats are clamoring for it,' Trump wrote on Twitter. 'Tremendous potential for voter fraud, and for whatever reason, doesn't work out well for Republicans.'... The president fiercely criticized mail-in voting as 'horrible' and 'corrupt' during the White House coronavirus task force's daily news conference Tuesday, but also conceded that he voted by mail in Florida's primary last month. Trump offered no legitimate explanation for the discrepancy between his position on mail-in voting and his personal voting habits, but insisted 'there's a big difference between somebody that's out of state and does a ballot, and everything's sealed, certified and everything else.' In other instances of mail-in voting, however, 'you get thousands and thousands of people sitting in somebody's living room, signing ballots all over the place,' Trump claimed.... The president's advice to vote in person contradicts his administration's social-distancing guidance...." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Aaron Rupar of Vox: "... Donald Trump keeps saying the quiet part [out] loud when it comes to his opposition to mail-in voting.... [Wednesday morning's Trump] tweet [outlined in Forgey's story] marked the second time in just over a week that Trump basically gave up the game. During a Fox & Friends appearance on March 30, he explained his opposition to a Democratic proposal to include funding for mail-in voting in coronavirus stimulus legislation by saying, 'they have things, levels of voting, that if you ever agreed to it, you'd never have a Republican elected in this country again.'... Georgia House Speaker David Ralston, a Republican, said the quiet part even louder than Trump has. 'Vote by mail in my view is not acceptable,' Ralston said. 'This will be extremely devastating to Republicans and conservatives in Georgia.... This will certainly drive up turnout.'"
The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments for Thursday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Thursday are here.
CDC De-Trumpifies. Aram Roston & Marisa Taylor of Reuters: "The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has removed from its website highly unusual guidance informing doctors on how to prescribe hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, drugs recommended by ... Donald Trump to treat the coronavirus. The move comes three days after Reuters reported that the CDC published key dosing information involving the two antimalarial drugs based on unattributed anecdotes rather than peer-reviewed science. Reuters also reported that the original guidance was crafted by the CDC after President Trump personally pressed federal regulatory and health officials to make the malaria drugs more widely available to treat the novel coronavirus, though the drugs in question had been untested for COVID-19.... Now the CDC website ... says: 'There are no drugs or other therapeutics approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to prevent or treat COVID-19.' The updated, and shortened, guidance adds that 'Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are under investigation in clinical trials' for use on coronavirus patients." (Also linked yesterday.)
Carl Zimmer of the New York Times: "New research [from two teams of 'viral historians'] indicates that the coronavirus began to circulate in the New York area by mid-February, weeks before the first confirmed case, and that travelers brought in the virus mainly from Europe, not Asia.... The research revealed a previously hidden spread of the virus that might have been detected if aggressive testing programs had been put in place. On Jan. 31, President Trump barred foreign nationals from entering the country if they had been in China during the prior two weeks. It would not be until ... March 11 when Mr. Trump said he would block travelers from most European countries. But New Yorkers had already been traveling home with the virus.... The United States fumbled in making its first diagnostic kits and initially limited testing only to people who had come from China and displayed symptoms of Covid-19.... The coronavirus genomes are also revealing hints of early cross-country travel [from Washington state to the East Coast]."
Gwynne Hogan of WNYC in the Gothamist: "New York City officials will begin to count suspected COVID-19 deaths of people who die at home following a WNYC/Gothamist report revealing a staggering number of such deaths that were not included in the official tally. In a statement, Stephanie Buhle, a spokeswoman for New York City's Health Department, said the city would no longer report only those cases that were confirmed by a laboratory test.... The new protocol is likely to add thousands to the toll.... [For instance, 280 New Yorkers died in non-hospital settings Monday], according to data from the Fire Department. While not all of those deaths are necessarily caused by COVID-19, it's a staggering increase over the average 25 home deaths the city usually saw on any given day before the pandemic swept the five boroughs."
Timothy Williams & Danielle Ivory of the New York Times: Chicago's Cook County jail "is now the nation's largest-known source of coronavirus infections, according to data compiled by The New York Times, with more confirmed cases than the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt, a nursing home in Kirkland, Wash., or the cluster centered on New Rochelle, N.Y. The Cook County Sheriff's Office, which operates the jail, said Wednesday that 238 inmates and 115 staff members had tested positive for the virus. But those figures most likely downplay the actual problem, the jail acknowledged, because the vast majority of the jail's 4,500 inmates have not been tested.... The ballooning outbreak at the jail, southwest of downtown Chicago, appears to confirm the fears of many health officials, who warned that America's overcrowded and unsanitary prisons and jails would likely be a significant source of the virus's spread."
Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) are in talks to avoid a nasty Senate floor fight between Democrats and Republicans that could leave a critical small-business loan program short on funds. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) plans to ask for unanimous consent Thursday morning to approve an additional $250 billion for the popular Paycheck Protection Program, under which small businesses can get federally backed loans that will be forgiven if they keep workers on payroll during the coronavirus downturn. But Senate Democrats are threatening to object unless the Trump administration and GOP lawmakers agree to several concessions." Mrs. McC: You'll have to read on for the concessions Democrats want. Nothing about vote-by-mail.
Jonathan Allen of NBC News: "Two Democratic House committee leaders are demanding answers from the Trump administration about Jared Kushner's role in directing and redirecting the flow of life-saving medical equipment among private companies, various levels of government and hospitals in need. The demand came in a letter sent Tuesday, the day the Kushner-backed supply chain task force abandoned its "war room" at the Federal Emergency Management Agency's headquarters following the revelation that a 'partner' of the agency who worked in the area had tested positive for coronavirus. The letter was sent by Reps. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., to FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor, giving an April 15 due date to provide files related to the efforts of Kushner.... The White House has routinely ignored requests from Congress for information...." Mrs. McC: If there's any chance Jared will end up in a dungeon in the Capitol Building, pleeeeeze proceed. It is vital that he be paraded before Congress in a black-and-white striped prisoner's uniform with a little pillbox cap.
Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A top House committee chairwoman is proposing legislation that would undo ... Donald Trump's move to sideline the federal watchdog originally tapped to oversee the $2 trillion coronavirus relief law. House Oversight and Government Reform Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, along with Reps. Gerald Connolly (D-Va.) and Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), offered a bill Wednesday that would expand the roster of officials permitted to lead the oversight effort, ensuring that Trump's incursion on the panel would not prevent the original pick -- Pentagon watchdog Glenn Fine -- from keeping the position." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ "I'll Be the Oversight." Seung Min Kim, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump is coming under bipartisan scrutiny in Congress after he ousted two inspectors general and publicly criticized a third -- actions that have left lawmakers wrestling yet again with an administration that has repeatedly flouted efforts at independent oversight since Trump took office.... But lawmakers also are aware that they are, again, confronting a president who has repeatedly defied oversight by the legislative branch raising questions about whether new safeguards established amid the pandemic will be effective against Trump. The president has shown little hesitation in dismissing independent watchdogs, ignoring congressional subpoenas and barring current and former administration officials from cooperating with investigations." ~~~
~~~ Ashley Parker & Anne Gearan of the Washington Post: "President Trump has lambasted governors whom he views as insufficiently appreciative. He has denigrated -- and even dismissed -- inspectors general who dared to criticize him or his administration. And he has excoriated reporters who posed questions he did not like. The coronavirus pandemic has crystallized several long-standing undercurrents of the president's governing ethos: a refusal to accept criticism, a seemingly insatiable need for praise -- and an abiding mistrust of independen entities and individuals. Those characteristics have had a pervasive effect on the administration's handling of the crisis, from Trump's suggestions that he might withhold aid from struggling state governments based on whether he is displeased with a governor to his repeated refusal to take responsibility for shortcomings in the laggard federal response." The report goes on to describe Trump in accurate, unflattering terms, largely by using his own bad behavior against him.
Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "Attorney General William P. Barr said Wednesday that some of the government-imposed lockdown measures meant to control the spread of covid-19 were 'draconian' and suggested that they should be eased next month. In an interview with Fox News's Laura Ingraham, Barr, long a proponent of executive power, said the government -- and in particular state officials -- had broad authority to impose restrictions on people in cases of emergency. But he said the federal government would be 'keeping a careful eye on' the situation, and stressed that officials should be 'very careful to make sure that the draconian measures that are being adopted are fully justified.'... When the White House's social distancing guidance expires [at the end of April], Barr said, 'I think we have to consider alternative ways of protecting people.' The comments were particularly notable because during his lengthy career, Barr has been a champion of a strong executive branch of government -- frequently drawing criticism from civil liberties' advocates."
Jeff Brady of NPR: "Some local officials are disappointed the federal government will end funding for coronavirus testing sites this Friday. In a few places those sites will close as a result. This as criticism continues that not enough testing is available.... A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services tells NPR, 'Many of the Community-Based Testing Sites (CBTS) are not closing, but rather transitioning to state-managed sites on or about April 10.'" --s ~~~
~~~ Matt Stieb of New York explains how counterproductive closing the testing sites is to the federal government's own goal of reviving local economies.
Tom Gjelten of NPR: "In a development that could challenge the Constitution's prohibition of any law 'respecting an establishment of religion,' the federal government will soon provide money directly to U.S. churches to help them pay pastor salaries and utility bills. A key part of the $2 trillion economic relief legislation enacted last month includes about $350 billion for the Small Business Administration to extend loans to small businesses facing financial difficulties as a result of the coronavirus shutdown orders. Churches and other faith-based organizations, classified as 'businesses,' qualify for aid under the program, even if they have an exclusively religious orientation.... In introducing the new SBA program, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Pence and President Trump 'made sure' that churches would be included in the program." --s (Also linked yesterday.)
Josh Margolin & James Meek of ABC News: "As far back as late November, U.S. intelligence officials were warning that a contagion was sweeping through China';s Wuhan region, changing the patterns of life and business and posing a threat to the population, according to four sources briefed on the secret reporting. Concerns about what is now known to be the novel coronavirus pandemic were detailed in a November intelligence report by the military's National Center for Medical Intelligence (NCMI), according to two officials familiar with the document's contents.... 'Analysts concluded it could be a cataclysmic event,' one of the sources said of the NCMI's report. 'It was then briefed multiple times to' the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon's Joint Staff and the White House." (Also linked yesterday.)
Modly's Last Hurrah Cost Taxpayers a Quarter Million Dollars. Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: "For taxpayers, the cost of [Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly's] flight [to & from Guam] alone was at least $243,151.65, according to a Navy estimate."
Dan Mangan & Thomas Franck of CNBC: "Sen. Kelly Loeffler [R-ich] of Georgia on Wednesday said that she and her CEO husband Jeff Sprecher will liquidate their individual stock share positions and related options after weeks of criticism of the couple for selling millions of dollars in stock amid the coronavirus pandemic. Loeffler on Wednesday reiterated her defense of the prior stock sales as legally and ethically proper, and her claim that the couple's trading was handled by third parties authorized to buy and sell securities without telling the couple in advance. And she said that she and Sprecher, who is the chairman and CEO of Intercontinental Exchange, the company that owns the New York Stock Exchange, are selling off the individual shares not because she had to, but because she wanted to avoid further controversy. Loeffler, who is the richest member of the Senate, said in a Wall Street Journal opinion page article announcing her decision that her stock holdings would be converted to mutual funds and exchange-traded funds by third-party advisors who handle her investments."
Capitalism Is Awesome, Ctd. Jane Bradley of the New York Times: "As the United States and European Union countries compete to acquire scarce medical equipment to combat the coronavirus, another troubling divide is also emerging, with poorer countries losing out to wealthier ones in the global scrum for masks and testing materials. Scientists in Africa and Latin America have been told by manufacturers that orders for vital testing kits cannot be filled for months, because the supply chain is in upheaval and almost everything they produce is going to America or Europe. All countries report steep price increases, from testing kits to masks."
A Holy Week Lesson
Kansas. Matthew Chapman of RawStory: "On Wednesday, Republicans on the Kansas Legislative Coordinating Council voted to overturn Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's executive order restricting attendance at church and funereal services to 10 people or less. The decision came after GOP state Attorney General Derek Schmidt warned that the order is unconstitutional. Schmidt declared the order to be 'sound public-health advice that Kansans should follow' but advised state police not to enforce it." --s ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: You might think killing off god-fearing Christians (and endangering the lives of others) is kind of an odd way to celebrate the Resurrection, but your theology is all wrong: ~~~
~~~ Edward Moreno of the Hill: "A Louisiana pentecostal pastor who is refusing to abide by the state's 'stay at home' order said 'true Christians' see death as a 'welcome friend.' 'Like any zealot or like any pure religious person, death looks to them like a welcome friend. True Christians do not mind dying. They fear living in fear,' Rev. Tony Spell, pastor of Life Tabernacle Church, told TMZ.... Spell was arrested on March 31 and charged with six misdemeanors for violating an executive order by Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) banning gatherings of more than 10 people. Central, La., Police Chief Roger Corcoran Spell's decision was 'reckless and irresponsible.' The pastor eportedly held services again on Sunday, with hundreds of parishioners turning out to his church near Baton Rouge." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: If we assume, for argument's sake (and because of the odds for it), that Pastor Tony there is also a right-to-lifer, then the theology would be that the one and only purpose to human life is to get through this world and on to heaven. There is actually some internal consistency to this belief as Christians believe that Jesus' birth, life and death was all one divine plan AND Christians do see Jesus as a role model.
MEANWHILE, in Virginia. Sarah Burris of RawStory: Jerry Falwell Jr. told a right-wing commentator Wednesday "that there were two arrest warrants open for reporters who came onto Liberty University's campus. Upon further examination of the warrant, the police officer who signed the warrant was Detective/Sgt. A.B. Wilkins 206 LUPD. The LUPD is ... the police department under the authority of Liberty University.... No judge appears to have signed the warrant nor is there a judge mentioned.... The warrant also doesn't appear to be certified by the clerk that it was submitted to the court.... The accused reporters, ProPublica reporter Alec MacGillis and a New York Times photographer Julia Rendleman were accused of trespassing on the campus." --s ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Let's all get us some badges & sticks and start passing out warrants to everybody who pisses us off. I'm starting with that lady who has littered her yard with the same raggedy Trumpence sign since 2016. $500 fine payable on demand.
Katie Jones of Visual Capitalist has a great study on media consumption habits by generation during the pandemic. Great graphics. --s
Mrs. McCrabbie: BTW, here's an opinion piece, dated April 6, by winger John Fund & Prof. Joel Hay in the right-wing National Review about how Sweden appears to be doing the right thing by avoiding most mandated social distancing: "While gatherings of more than 50 people are prohibited and high schools and colleges are closed, Sweden has kept its borders open as well as its preschools, grade schools, bars, restaurants, parks, and shops." ~~~
~~~ AND here's an article, dated April 7, by Sinéad Baker in Business Insider is "now bracing for a surge in [coronavirus] cases." ~~~
~~~ AND here's an article, dated April 8, by Paulina Neuding & Tino Sanandaji in the Washington Post: "There are indications that Sweden is experiencing a higher death toll than its neighbors. While the Scandinavian countries reported their first fatalities at roughly the same time, Sweden as of April 8 had 687 fatalities, Denmark 218 and Norway 93. In per capita terms, Sweden is faring clearly worse than Norway and increasingly worse than Denmark.... There are now alarming reports that the virus has spread to one-third of nursing homes in Stockholm, which has resulted in rising fatalities." Mrs. McC: I'm thinking of the value of confederate opinion.
Naomi Jagoda of the Hill: "The Treasury Department's inspector general's office on Wednesday sent a report about the department's handling of House Democrats' request for President Trump's tax returns to key lawmakers. Deputy Inspector General Richard Delmar, who is currently the acting IG for Treasury, said in an email to The Hill that his office's 'inquiry report' was sent to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.), who requested the report, as well as the committee's top Republican, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas). The contents of the report were not immediately known."
(** for those of a certain age) Matt Schudel of the Washington Post: "Linda Tripp, a key figure in the presidential sex scandal that nearly brought down the administration of Bill Clinton over his affair with onetime White House intern Monica S. Lewinsky, leading to the president's impeachment in 1998, died April 8. She was 70. The death was confirmed by her son, Ryan Tripp, who declined to discuss other details. Acquaintances said she had been hospitalized for breast cancer. Ms. Tripp was praised as a whistleblower by some for calling out presidential misbehavior with an intern in the Oval Office, and was vilified by others as a snitch who betrayed her friendship with Lewinsky in an effort to bring down a president." Tripp's New York Times obituary is here.
News Lede
New York Times: "The body of an 8-year-old grandson of former Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend of Maryland who went missing with his mother in a canoe last week was recovered in the Chesapeake Bay on Wednesday, two days after his mother's body was found, the authorities said. The Maryland Natural Resources Police said that the body of the grandson, Gideon McKean, was found 2,000 feet from where the body of his mother, Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, a granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, was recovered on Monday."
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Reader Comments (23)
Joy in the streets of the Inferno tonight. Linda Tripp has come home.
More projection from little donnie:
“Mail-in voting is CORRUPT and HORRIBLE.”
See what-a mean?
Filthy McNasty does not understand that to put people back to work universal testing is necessary. With every person tested, those infected can be isolated and a safe work place established.
Filthy's only accomplishment is the ability to keep his hair
cemented in place.
An interesting tidbit from Linda Tripp’s obituary:
"[Lucianne] Goldberg said she had once asked Ms. Tripp why she was doing what she was doing. “It was fury at what she saw going on, and she couldn’t do anything about it,” Ms. Goldberg said. “She knew about it, and she couldn’t live with it, and she was very fond of Monica. She honestly thought that she was saving Monica’s life.”
Ms. Tripp always contended that she had revealed Ms. Lewinsky’s private confession of a sexual relationship with Mr. Clinton out of “patriotic duty.”
Linda Rose Carotenuto was born on Nov. 24, 1949, in Jersey City, N.J. Her father, Albert Carotenuto, was a high school math and science teacher who met his wife, Inge, when he was an American soldier stationed in her native Germany. The Carotenutos divorced in 1968 after Ms. Tripp’s mother learned that her husband was having an affair with a fellow teacher."
Looks like there was that identification thingy going on here, don't it?
And @AK: that joy in the streets brought me back to the reports above of our men of the cloth ignoring the law, flouting it in the face of their state governors because for Christians, death should be a welcome thing–-a happy, blissful time where nary a frown is found on foreheads and yes, even in hell there will be dancing in the streets. And our tax money is going to help these meretricious mind-benders keep their business open????
I thought Bernie's "I'm out but I'm sure as hell not going away" speech was exactly right. When you think of all the effort that goes into these campaigns–-and then....and for Bernie–-it's the second time around for the big seat–-not so easy to take.
No longer do you have to worry about holding back––the toilet paper shortage has been solved:
<QuiltedNorthernRusticWeaveArtisanalToiletPaper.mp4>
Whoops! forgot to flush out and make magic:
">https://<QuiltedNorthernRusticWeaveArtisanalToiletPaper.mp4>
One more try ***###
">https://<QuiltedNorthernRusticWeaveArtisanalToiletPaper.mp4>
@PD Pepe: Not sure, but maybe this is what you mean. I think quite a few people took this seriously.
Artisanal toilet paper? Jesus. I’m wondering if those mooching poors will be able to afford it. Sorry, poors, it’s leaves and dumpster newspapers for you. No Northern Weave whatchamacallit. I’m betting Fatty has his TP monogrammed. I’d use it if it had his face on it.
Didn’t watch the video, but looks like I’ve been Andy-Borowitzed again.
@Akhilleus & PD Pepe: Yeah, the video is actually quite droll, in a scatological sort of way. Apparently Northern put it out on April Fool's Day 2016.
Thanks, Marie–-yes, that's it. Not sure why my link didn't cotton to my "post an entry" thing. Yes, I'm not surprised that some people took it seriously. However––when many still believe in the glory of a god and in Donald Trump then–––nothing surprises me anymore.
@PD, what you linked wasn't a website URL. It was the file name of a video in .mp4 format. It's not suitable for an html a-tag reference, if that's what you were trying to do. Did you perhaps receive the video as an attachment to an email?
Colbert makes solid points on how supporting the real essential workers benefits everybody:
https://youtu.be/fwZdCEVwmpo
It's time to update Chief Justice Roberts' moniker from "Old Balls and Strikes" to "Old Strikes---No Balls".
AG Barr says that the current lockdown procedures are "draconian" and should be relaxed. I'd expect him to know more about lockup procedures but what do I know?
At least we finally have confirmation that confederates are in full agreement, and are now saying so publicly, that if everyone who is eligible to vote is allowed to, they might never win another election. They’ve known this for years, thus the ballot fixing, voter suppression, and outright stealing of elections (both Decider “victories”, first in Florida, then in Ohio).
Democracy, or should I say “democracy”, is only for wingers. Pretty soon Fatty will authorize drive through and online “voting”, but only for registered Republicans, both of which he personally will “oversee” to ensure that no apostate votes make it through.
I can envision a time when R vote totals will be in Putin-like 90% ranges.
AG barr should be required to wait tables at the first restaurant that reopens in DC for the first week. Go ahead, sir. Open up.
ps. AG barr should also live on the wage of a waiter while he is waiting tables. I’m sure he will be grateful for the riches that flow his way.
Good site for global updates:
https://virusncov.com/
Sweden is hard to compare, as their testing prevalence is lower than their neighbors, and their death rate per case is higher. Possible nursing home bias? That said, the experiment is distinctive, as the demographics of Scandinavian countries are about as similar as any three countries can be. My impression is that Sweden may be doing a bit worse, but not much, so far. Time will tell.
Taiwan and Singapore are really interesting; so far 5 dead in Taiwan, 6 in Singapore. Like Sweden, neither shut down commerce and schools. But compliance with distancing and quarantine was strict. No Mardi Gras or St. Pat's parties.
You are not crazy, Marie. However, I am beginning to think that Barr totally is. How can one man who has really seen it all in previous administrations, be so consistently wrong and so persistantly loud about it?? Do fatness and jowls affect your brain?
That story about CNN and Pence is rich. They must be catching on that no one with a brain watches the "barfing" each night--
pps. Finally, AG barr will also have to live on a waiter’s health care policy.
Fling wide the doors, you sheltered dilettante.