The Commentariat -- April 28, 2020
Afternoon Update:
Get Real. Yascha Mounk in the Atlantic: "The miracle of deliverance is not in sight.... Experts estimate that for a population to reach herd immunity, up to 80 percent of it would have to be exposed to the coronavirus. Even if the virus has a fatality rate of a little less than 1 percent, this means that letting it spread through the population of the United States would cause about 2 million deaths.... Plans to brave the virus by going back to normal remain in the realm of the stupid or the sociopathic.... The chances of finding a transformative treatment against COVID-19 that could be deployed very soon have dwindled considerably.... A vaccine is likely at least a year away.... It now seems less likely than ever that the United States will do what is necessary to reopen the economy without causing a second wave of deadly infections.... For all his blustering demands to get the country back to normal, the president is failing to take the steps that are required to reopen the economy without a horrific death toll."
A Grand Gift from the Fed. Jeff Stein & Peter Whoriskey of the Washington Post: "A Federal Reserve program expected to begin within weeks will provide hundreds of billions in emergency aid to large American corporations without requiring them to save jobs or limit payments to executives and shareholders. Under the program, the central bank will buy up to $500 billion in bonds issued by large companies. The companies will use the influx of cash as a financial lifeline but are required to pay it back with interest. Unlike other portions of the relief for American businesses, however, this aid will be exempt from rules passed by Congress requiring recipients to limit dividends, executive compensation and stock buybacks and does not direct the companies to maintain certain employment levels."
Another Way the Haves Are Profiting from Covid-19. Jessica Silver-Greenberg & Rachel Abrams of the New York Times: "As American companies lay off millions of workers, some appear to be taking advantage of the coronavirus crisis to target workers who are in or hope to join unions, according to interviews with more than two dozen workers, labor activists and employment lawyers."
~~~ ** Veep Spits on Mayo Clinic Staff. Briana Bierschbach of the Minneapolis Star Tribune: "Vice President Mike Pence returned to Minnesota Tuesday to highlight Mayo Clinic's coronavirus research and testing efforts, calling them a 'whole of Minnesota approach.' But even as he praised Mayo's efforts to combat COVID-19, Pence ignored the clinic's request that all visitors don face masks to prevent transmission, including Gov. Tim Walz [D(FLP)] and others on the tour. In the face of growing commentary on television and social media, Mayo officials responded with a tweet as the tour was still underway: 'Mayo Clinic had informed @VP of the masking policy prior to his arrival today.'"
Kevin Drum of Mother Jones: Bloomberg reports that "'... Donald Trump plans to order meat-processing plants to remain open, declaring them critical infrastructure as the nation confronts growing disruptions to the food supply from the coronavirus outbreak, a person familiar with the matter said. Trump plans to use the Defense Production Act to order the companies to stay open during the pandemic, and the government will provide additional protective gear for employees as well as guidance, according to the person.'... His base hears 'meat shortage' and goes cuckoo, so Trump sees a chance to show them whose side he's on. And it's not the side of liberal elites, that's for sure. Nor is it the side of the brown-skinned people who mostly work in packing houses these days. However, I'm sure they'll be mollified by Trump's promise of 'guidance' to their bosses.... Trump is forcing everyone to stay open regardless of whether their meat is safe. And since there's no way to know which packing plant your meat comes from, you might just decide to avoid all meat."
Everything Trump Does Is Stupid and Petty. Matt Stieb of New York: "Despite evidence that COVID-19 may have jumped from bats to humans -- with a possible layover in the immune systems of pangolins -- Politico reports that President Trump is now cutting funding for researchers determining how bat coronaviruses can infect humans because the project is linked to a lab in Wuhan, China. On Friday, the National Institutes of Health told the sponsor of the study for the past five years, EcoHealth Alliance, that all future funding was off the table and that the nonprofit would stop spending the remaining $369,819 from its 2020 grant.... The revocation of just over $3.7 million is a paltry sum for the NIH.... Cutting 0.000094 percent of the budget in an apparent act of political posturing shows that the Trump administration continues to let its incoherent policy toward China obstruct important research that may help us fend off the next pandemic -- even as we're still in the heart of the current one." The Politico report is here.
~~~ ** The Cover-up Is Worse Than the Incompetence. Ryan Goodman & Danielle Schulkin in a New York Times op-ed: "The strongest critics of the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic point to its flat-footedness and the consequences of time lost. But the full account looks worse. Over the last five days of February, President Trump and senior officials did something more sinister: They engaged in a cover-up. A look at this window of time gives insight into how several members of the president's team were willing to manipulate Americans even when so many lives were at stake.... Senior officials knew the coronavirus was an extreme threat to Americans. Thanks to information streaming in from U.S. intelligence agencies for months, officials reportedly believed that a 'cataclysmic' disease could infect 100 million Americans and discussed lockdown plans. The warnings were given to Mr. Trump in his daily brief by the intelligence community; in calls from Alex Azar, the secretary of health; and in memos from his economic adviser Peter Navarro. The same day [Feb. 25] that Dr. [Nancy] Messonnier spoke [to reporters about the coming pandemic], the military's National Center for Medical Intelligence raised the warning level inside the government to WATCHCON1, concluding that the coronavirus was imminently likely to develop into a full-blown pandemic.... So the president's top advisers took to the airwaves with a united purpose: to deny the truth."
Mike DeBonis & Seung Min Kim of the Washington Post: "House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) said Tuesday the House was abandoning plans to meet next week, less than 24 hours after members were told to prepare to return to Washington on May 4 despite the spreading coronavirus pandemic. Hoyer said the change was made in light of advice from the congressional attending physician and in light of the continued spread of the virus in Washington and its suburbs. 'The numbers in the District of Columbia are going up, not down,' he said.... The decision by House Democratic leaders to stay home stands in stark contrast to the plan from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who said this week the Senate will reconvene on Monday to confirm President Trump's judicial nominees and to start work on a new coronavirus relief bill." ~~~
~~~ Sarah Ferris, et al., of Politico: "... Steny Hoyer on Tuesday announced that lawmakers won't return to Washington next week, abruptly reversing course after widespread backlash from members in both parties who warned the move would be unsafe."
Adam Raymond of New York: “The New York Times responded Monday night to Sean Hannity's demand for an apology and retraction over recent columns concerning his comments on the coronavirus. 'In response to your request for an apology and a retraction, our answer is "no,"' a Times lawyer wrote in a letter to Hannity's lawyer, Charles Harder, who had represented the Trump campaign in a previous lawsuit against the Times.... Earlier on Monday, Hannity and Harder threatened to sue the Times in a letter accusing the paper of 'blatant and outrageous disregard for the truth in mischaracterizing Mr. Hannity's coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.'"; Mrs. McC: Hannity is just trying to find a way to wiggle out of his responsibility for persuading his listeners that coronavirus was a hoax that would not endanger Americans' health.
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The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Tuesday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Tuesday are here.
Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: "President Trump, under growing pressure to expand coronavirus testing as states move to reopen their economies, unveiled a new plan on Monday to ramp up the federal government's help to states, but his proposal runs far short of what most public health experts say is necessary. Mr. Trump's announcement in the Rose Garden came after weeks of him insisting, inaccurately, that the nation's testing capability 'is fully sufficient to begin opening up the country,' as he said on April 18. Numerous public health experts say that is untrue, and Mr. Trump's plan may do little to fix it. 'These were not complaining people. They had everything they needed. They had their ventilators; they had their testing,' Mr. Trump said on Monday after a call with governors. 'We're getting them what they need.' In fact, governors have been complaining that they do not have nearly enough tests to give them the kind of information they need to make difficult decisions about reopening"
~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: During the briefing yesterday, mike pence had a precious explanation for why he and Trump said way back in early March that "Anybody that wants a test can get a test" (-- Trump, March 6) & have repeated similar claims when that still isn't true: ~~~
~~~ Daniel Dale, et al., of CNN: "... Mike Pence accused a reporter of a misunderstanding about testing that Pence's own words had created weeks earlier.... A reporter [-- Jon Karl of ABC News --] ... asked Pence what went wrong before -- after his early-March claims that four million tests would be available by the following week. Pence responded Monday: 'I appreciate the question, but it represents a misunderstanding on your part and frankly the -- a lot of people in the public's part -- about the difference between having a test versus the ability to actually process the test.' Pence said 'the old system' was not able to process the tests at the necessary volume. When a reporter pressed him, asking if he had just been talking in March about tests being sent out, not actually being completed,' Pence said that was correct.... Here's what Pence said on March 9: 'Over a million tests have been distributed. Before the end of this week, another 4 million tests will be distributed. But as I said before, with the deployment of the commercial labs, we literally -- we literally are going to see a dramatic increase in the available -- availability of testing, and that's all a direct result of the President's leadership.' Pence did not add a caveat about how the system was currently unable to deal with the 4 million tests. And he specifically mentioned commercial labs...." Emphasis added. ~~~
~~~ Dangling Man. Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Let's say mike is up on a 20-foot ladder cleaning the gutters when the ladder begins to fall sideways & crash to the ground. mike is able to catch onto the eaves and is left dangling 20 feet above-ground. He hollers for mrs. mike to get him the ladder. She comes out of the house, surveys the scene, and says, "But, mike, you have a ladder." Then she goes back on in the house to watch the country craft shows on the teevee. Under the pence theory of availability, that should work for mike.
Peter Baker of the New York Times: "To the surprise of exactly no one, President Trump resumed his daily coronavirus news briefings on Monday, just two days after tweeting that they were 'not worth the time & effort' and just hours after his own White House officially canceled the planned appearance.... For a president who relishes the spotlight and spends hours a day watching television, the idea of passing on his daily chance to get his message out turned out to be untenable despite his anger over his coverage. And so he was back, defending his handling of the pandemic and promising to reopen the country soon.... Even as he talked about the crisis that has killed almost as many Americans as the Vietnam War, Mr. Trump veered off to attack 'Sleepy Joe' Biden, complain about being persecuted and make some of his favorite false claims. He promoted his administration's record on responding to the pandemic despite widespread criticism, blamed China for not stopping the virus in the first place, suggested he was open to suing states for imposing restrictions embraced by his own public health advisers and predicted an 'incredible fourth quarter' of economic growth and recovery from the collapse of the economy."
Mike DeBonis, et al., of the Washington Post: "Governors, congressional leaders and public health officials have pressed for a robust testing plan from the federal government, insisting that frequent and widespread testing is crucial to ending the stay-at-home orders that have idled businesses across much of the country. President Trump responded Monday by announcing what the White House called a 'blueprint' for increasing testing capacity. But it leaves the onus on states to develop their own plans and rapid-response programs.... Trump insisted that the nation will have the necessary testing, but it was unclear how the plan would work.... Trump outlined the effort at a White House news conference where he was joined by some major retailers, who said they had ramped up the rate of testing and the production of medical supplies.... But a previous high-profile public-private initiative announced by the president in March -- partnering with companies to open up scores of testing sites on their properties across the country -- has been slow to materialize." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: The WashPo description of the Daily Shitshow is generous. As the usually-circumspect John King of CNN put it, "The briefing was nothing but an opportunity for Trump to march a bunch of CEOs up to the podium to praise him; then he spent the rest of the time doing most of the talking." (Paraphrase.) ~~~
~~~ Nikki Carvajal & Maegan Vazquez of CNN: "... Donald Trump said Monday that he takes no responsibility for any spike in people using disinfectants improperly after dangerously suggesting last week that ingesting it could serve as a coronavirus treatment. Asked about the increase during a White House news conference, Trump said: 'I can't imagine why.' When asked if he takes any responsibility for the spike, Trump answered: 'No, I don't.'" ~~~
~~~ Poor, Pitiful, Marvelous Me. Jeremy Peters, et al., of the New York Times: "The self-regard, the credit-taking, the audacious rewriting of recent history to cast himself as the hero of the pandemic rather than the president who was slow to respond: Such have been the defining features of Mr. Trump's use of the bully pulpit during the coronavirus outbreak. The New York Times analyzed every word Mr. Trump spoke at his White House briefings and other presidential remarks on the virus -- more than 260,000 words -- from March 9, when the outbreak began leading to widespread disruptions in daily life, through mid-April. The transcripts show striking patterns and repetitions in the messages he has conveyed, revealing a display of presidential hubris and self-pity unlike anything historians say they have seen before." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
** Greg Miller & Ellen Nakashima of the Washington Post: "U.S. intelligence agencies issued warnings about the novel coronavirus in more than a dozen classified briefings prepared for President Trump in January and February, months during which he continued to play down the threat, according to current and former U.S. officials. The repeated warnings were conveyed in issues of the President's Daily Brief, a sensitive report that is produced before dawn each day and designed to call the president's attention to the most significant global developments and security threats. For weeks, the PDB -- as the report is known -- traced the virus's spread around the globe, made clear that China was suppressing information about the contagion's transmissibility and lethal toll, and raised the prospect of dire political and economic consequences. But the alarms appear to have failed to register with the president, who routinely skips reading the PDB and has at times shown little patience for even the oral summary he takes two or three times per week, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity...."
The New York Times puts "What an Idiot!" right on the front page: ~~~
~~~ Lisa Friedman & Brad Plumer of the New York Times: "At a March visit with doctors and researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the public health agency at the heart of the fight against the coronavirus, President Trump spoke words of praise for the scientific acumen in the building -- particularly his own. 'Every one of these doctors said, "How do you know so much about this?" Maybe I have a natural ability,' Mr. Trump said. It was a striking boast, even amid a grave health crisis in which Mr. Trump has repeatedly contradicted medical experts in favor of his own judgment. But a disregard for scientific advice has been a defining characteristic of Mr. Trump's administration.... The president's actions, [presidential historian Douglas Brinkley] said, have eroded one of the United States's most enviable assets: the government's deep scientific expertise, built over decades. Historians and foreign policy experts said the administration's disregard for scientific expertise -- combined with the nation's broader retreat from international trade agreements and cross-border defense alliances like NATO -- is diminishing the nation's status on the world stage."
Pete Williams of NBC News: "Attorney General William Barr directed the nation's federal prosecutors Monday to watch for restrictions imposed by state and local governments during the coronavirus pandemic that may go too far, violating constitutional rights.... He tasked the U.S. attorney in Detroit, Matthew Schneider, to help lead the effort.... Donald Trump, speaking later Monday at a news conference, backed Barr's efforts. 'He wants to see people get back to work,' Trump said. 'He does not want people to be held up when there is no reason for doing it.... The attorney general doesn't want rights taken away. There are some people, they are not allowed to open up their store. They're going to lose their livelihood. And, by the way, that causes death also....'"
Jordan Fabian & Josh Wingrove of Bloomberg, republished in Yahoo! Finance: "The White House is urging businesses to open their doors again in hopes of triggering a swift revival of the U.S. economy, despite warning signs that nationwide reopenings may be premature. Kevin Hassett, an economic adviser to ... Donald Trump, said Monday the White House has data showing that essential businesses over the past four weeks have begun to operate without major coronavirus flare-ups. He said it is likely safe for non-essential businesses to reopen as well.... Over the past two weeks, outbreaks have been reported at meatpacking plants, distribution centers and warehouses across the country that have remained open. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro nonetheless echoed Hassett's claims during a CNN interview, saying the performance of aerospace companies and other 'essential industries' shows the nation is ready to return to work -- albeit with social distancing and personal hygiene guidelines." ~~~
~~~ KSHB Kansas City, Mo.: "As meat-packing plants become a point of concern for the spread of COVID-19 across the country, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have joined forces to give employers and workers guidance. The agencies on Sunday released recommendations for those involved in processing beef, pork and poultry to reduce the risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus." Mrs. McC: Mind you, these are "recommendations," not mandates. ~~~
~~~ Shelly Bradbury of the Denver Post: "A fifth employee at the JBS USA plant in Greeley died Sunday after contracting the novel coronavirus, according to the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 7. Four workers at the Greeley beef plant have now died, as well as one person who worked at the JBS corporate office. The death of plant employee Way Ler, 61, comes two days after JBS reopened its Greeley plant after a nine-day closure prompted by the spread of the novel coronavirus among employees. The plant reopened Friday after the company installed a variety of protections for workers designed to slow the spread of the virus, and most employees will return to work Monday, despite ongoing concerns about worker safety and a lack of testing for employees. On Friday, JBS sent the union a cease-and-desist letter alleging that union president Kim Cordova violated the collective bargaining agreement between the workers and the company by speaking publicly about safety concerns at the plant.... At least 102 JBS employees have confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, although health officials believe the outbreak is larger...." ~~~
~~~ Natalia Navarro of Colorado Public Radio (April 24): "The JBS Greeley beef production facility is reopening Friday, April 24 without testing all employees for COVID-19, despite promises from the White House and plant management to do so. The plant was ordered to close April 10 to test all employees, disinfect and implement social distancing protocols in the facility. Vice President Mike Pence discussed JBS during a White House briefing and promised resources for testing. But the company confirmed to CPR that not all employees were tested."
The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Monday are here. "Less than an hour after the Small Business Administration started taking requests for another $310 billion in emergency aid for small businesses on Monday morning, its computer system for processing the loan applications crashed.... It was a rocky start for the second round of funding through the Paycheck Protection Program, a stimulus measure that offers small companies a low-interest loan to cover their payroll and other costs. If borrowers comply with the program's rules, the loans will be forgiven." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Monday are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Luke Darby of GQ: "Dallas billionaire Monty Bennett had a special hand in draining the first round of PPP money -- he's the single biggest recipient of PPP funds, with $96.1 million going to his businesses. Bennett is the the head of what the Dallas Morning News calls a 'hotel empire.' He's the CEO of Ashford Inc., a company that serves as the 'external advisor' to Ashford Hospitality Trust and Braemar Hotels & Resorts, two companies where Bennett also serves as chairman of the board. As Popular Information reports, the three companies made $2.2 billion in revenue in 2019. But in March, when U.S. businesses started to feel the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, the companies laid off 95 percent of their employees and hired lobbyists for the first time ever to make sure that they could get bailout money. That same month, Bennett personally donated $50,000 Donald Trump's reelection committee.... In a statement out Saturday, Ashford Inc. announced that unlike other publicly-traded, multi-million dollar companies, it would not be returning any of the funds it received." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Jessica Silver-Greenberg, et al., of the New York Times: "A company in Georgia paid $6.5 million to resolve a Justice Department investigation -- and, two weeks later, received a $10 million federally backed loan to help it survive the coronavirus crisis. Another company, AutoWeb, disclosed last week that it had paid its chief executive $1.7 million in 2019 -- a week after it received $1.4 million from the same loan program.... The loan program was meant for companies that could no longer finance themselves through traditional means.... The law required that the federal money -- which comes at a low 1 percent interest rate and in some cases doesn't need to be paid back -- be spent on things like payroll or rent.... But dozens of large but lower-profile companies with financial or legal problems have also received large payouts under the program.... Another dozen or so collected money even though they have recently reported being able to raise large sums through private means. Several others have recently showered top executives with seven-figure pay packages.... Instead of having the Small Business Administration, which is guaranteeing the loans, decide which companies get funding, the process was essentially outsourced to banks. The banks collect fees for each loan they make but don't have to monitor whether the recipients use the money appropriately." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ "Heads We Win, Tails You Lose." Dominic Rushe & Mona Chalabi of the Guardian: "Some of the richest people in the US have been at the front of the queue as the government has handed out trillions of dollars to prop up an economy it shuttered amid the coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, the billionaire class has added $308bn to its wealth in four weeks - even as a record 26 million people lost their jobs. According to a new report from the Institute for Policy Studies, a progressive thinktank, between 18 March and 22 April the wealth of America's plutocrats grew 10.5%.... Eight of those billionaires have seen their net worth surge by over $1bn each.... The billionaire bonanza comes as a flotilla of big businesses, millionaires and billionaires sail through loopholes in a $349bn bailout meant to save hard-hit small businesses. About 150 public companies managed to bag more than $600m in forgivable loans before the funds ran out.... Fisher Island, a members-only location off the coast of Miami where the average income of residents is $2.2m..., has received $2m in aid. The banks that were the largest recipients of bailout cash in the last recession have also done well, raking in $10bn in fees from the government loans, according to an analysis by National Public Radio." ~~~
~~~ **The Great White Heist. Megan Cerullo of CBS: "Flaws in the Paycheck Protection Program are hindering small businesses owned by minorities and by women from securing federal coronavirus relief, according to lending experts and interviews with numerous owners.... 'Roughly 95% of Black-owned businesses, 91% of Latino-owned businesses, 91% of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander-owned businesses, and 75% of Asian-owned businesses stand close to no chance of receiving a PPP loan through a mainstream bank or credit union,' the [Center for Responsible Lending, a non-profit group that combats abusive lending practices] warned on April 6 as the Paycheck Protection Program, or the PPP, was starting to take applications." --safari: This, right here, is exactly why the #MAGA cult exists.
** Angela Fritz, et al., of the Washington Post: "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added six symptoms of the novel coronavirus to its list, suggesting health experts are learning more about the growing number of ways physicians see the virus affecting patients. The symptoms, which the CDC reports could appear two to 14 days after exposure to the virus, are: Chills, Repeated shaking with chills, Muscle pain, Headache, Sore throat [and] New loss of taste or smell. Previously, the CDC listed just three known symptoms: shortness of breath, cough and fever."
Emma Brown, et al., of the Washington Post: "In the early weeks of the coronavirus epidemic, the United States recorded an estimated 15,400 excess deaths, nearly two times as many as were publicly attributed to covid-19 at the time, according to an analysis of federal data conducted for The Washington Post by a research team led by the Yale School of Public Health. The excess deaths -- the number beyond what would normally be expected for that time of year -- occurred during March and through April 4, a time when 8,128 coronavirus deaths were reported. The excess deaths are not necessarily attributable directly to covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. They could include people who died because of the epidemic but not from the disease, such as those who were afraid to seek medical treatment for unrelated illnesses, as well as some number of deaths that are part of the ordinary variation in the death rate.... The analysis suggests that the deaths announced in the weeks leading up to April 4, based on reports from state public health departments, failed to capture the full impact of the pandemic." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Burgess Everett of Politico: "In an interview on Monday, [Mitch McConnell] said it's 'highly likely' the next coronavirus response bill will aid local governments whose budgets have been decimated by lockdowns and now face spiraling deficits. But to unlock that money, McConnell said he will 'insist' Congress limit the liabilities of health care workers, business owners and employees from lawsuits as they reopen in the coming weeks and months.... In acknowledging that states like New York and New Jersey can count on more federal aid in the next massive relief bill, the Kentucky Republican is cracking the door to an agreement with congressional Democrats after taking a hard line with his recent suggestion that states go 'the bankruptcy route.'" Mrs. McC: I'm not sure even a federal law can protect me from highly irresponsible behavior: say, requiring employees to work in close quarters with no PPE when a threat of infection, illness and death exists. (But let's not ask Neil Gorsuch about that.)
Jack Healy, et al., of the New York Times: "Governors across the country forged ahead Monday with plans to reopen their economies, even as the nation hit a grim milestone of 50,000 deaths from the coronavirus and public health experts warned against lifting stay-at-home orders too quickly. Numerous states, including some of the largest, began the process of lifting shelter orders in what could be a pivotal stage in the U.S. response to the pandemic.... The moves came as President Trump promised to help the states ramp up testing and called on them to consider reconvening schools before the end of the academic year rather than waiting until the fall, as many districts have decided or are expected to do."
Arizona. Impersonate a Nurse! Kate Riga of TPM: "Dr. Kelli Ward, the far-right conspiracy theory-embracing chairwoman of the Arizona Republican Party, encouraged her Twitter followers to don scrubs and personal protective equipment while attending 'reopen' rallies to bamboozle the media.... 'If anyone's status as a health care professional should be questioned it's Dr. Kelli Ward's, considering her unwillingness to promote the advice of health experts,' said Matt Grodsky, spokesman for the [Arizona Democratic] party. 'Irresponsible, shameful tweets like this do nothing to help people afflicted with the virus or the health care heroes who are working to save lives.' Ward is a doctor of osteopathic medicine."
New York. Ali Watkins, et al., of the New York Times: "A top emergency room doctor at a Manhattan hospital that treated many coronavirus patients died by suicide on Sunday, her father and the police said. Dr. Lorna M. Breen, the medical director of the emergency department at NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, died in Charlottesville, Va., where she was staying with family, her father said in an interview.... Dr. Breen's father, Dr. Philip C. Breen, said she had described devastating scenes of the toll the coronavirus took on patients. 'She tried to do her job, and it killed her,' he said. The elder Dr. Breen said his daughter had contracted the coronavirus but had gone back to work after recuperating for about a week and a half. The hospital sent her home again, before her family intervened to bring her to Charlottesville, he said. Dr. Breen, 49, did not have a history of mental illness, her father said." ~~~
~~~ Alina Selyukh of NPR: "In a letter to Amazon obtained by NPR, the office of New York's [attorney general] Letitia James says the company may have ... broken the state's whistleblower laws for firing a warehouse worker who helped organize a protest in Staten Island. 'While we continue to investigate, the information so far available to us raises concerns that Amazon's health and safety measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are so inadequate that they may violate several provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act' and other federal and state guidelines, James's staff wrote in the letter, dated April 22.... Amazon's New York warehouses have been under extra scrutiny since the company fired Staten Island worker Christian Smalls, who helped stage a protest demanding that the facility be closed following several confirmed cases of the coronavirus among staff. Amazon has said Smalls was fired for violating quarantine and safety measures. New York officials write that their preliminary findings 'raise serious concern that Amazon may have discharged [Smalls] in order to silence his complaints and send a threatening message to other employees that they should also keep quiet about any health and safety concerns.' Notably, the letter says New York's attorney general is also investigating "other cases of potential illegal retaliation.'" ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Worth noting: Between March 18 and April 22, Amazon owner Jeff Bezos increased his wealth by more than a billion dollars, according to the Guardian report linked above. But, you know, can't have those low-paid rabble-rousers demanding safe workplace conditions.
North Carolina. Jeff Reeves of CBS 17 Raleigh: "A leader of the ReOpen NC group revealed in a Facebook post that she tested positive for COVID-19. Audrey Whitlock posted to the ReOpen NC Facebook page early Sunday saying her two-week quarantine was ending. She described herself as an' an asymptomatic COVID19 positive patient.' Whitlock is one of the administrators of the ReOpen NC Facebook page -- which has helped organize two protests in downtown Raleigh calling for Gov. Roy Cooper [D] to lift his stay-at-home order. In Whitlock's post, she wrote about how the restrictions put in place amid the COVID-19 pandemic are violating her First Amendment rights as well as her 5th and 14th Amendment rights." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: I read Audrey's Facebook manifesto (which appears -- partly illegibly -- at the bottom of the CBS 17 article). She believes she has a Constitutional right to sicken other people partly because her quarantine violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. That is, Audrey is so dumb she is comparing Covid-19 to, say, a spinal anomaly or hearing impairment.
Judy Fahys of Inside Climate News: "[I]n a sweeping plan to revive the domestic uranium mining industry unveiled Thursday, the Trump administration proposed ... to open the scenic and sacred areas [in the Grand Canyon] once again in the name of economic vitality and national security. Allowing more uranium mining on federal lands is just one of the suggestions that emerged from an eight-month review by the White House Nuclear Fuel Working Group. So are the creation of a federally funded, $150 million uranium reserve over the next decade, the easing of environmental regulations at mines and processing plants and the global expansion of U.S.-made nuclear technologies.... The new nuclear strategy is in concert with environmental policies that have become familiar in the Trump years." --s
Presidential Race
New York. Stephanie Saul & Nick Corasaniti of the New York Times: "New York officials canceled the state's Democratic presidential primary on Monday, calling the vote a 'beauty contest' that the state could ill afford in the face of the coronavirus epidemic. The move by Democrats on the New York State Board of Elections followed the decision by Senator Bernie Sanders to concede the Democratic presidential nomination to former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., rendering the primary unnecessary. Officials had struggled with the decision, which was certain to anger some supporters of Mr. Sanders, but they ultimately concluded that the risk of spreading the coronavirus was too great to justify holding an election with no real meaning. Because of the board's decision, voters in about 20 counties that had no other contests on their ballot will have no need to go to the polls on June 23.... Despite arrangements to encourage absentee voting, polling places are expected to remain open in about 42 counties for down-ballot races.... In a letter to the board on Sunday, Mr. Sanders's campaign had urged the board to keep him on the ballot and hold a primary in the interest of party unity, and the Sanders-aligned group Our Revolution had cautioned against the presidential primary's cancellation."
Rich McHugh of Business Insider: "In March, when a former aide to Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden accused the candidate of sexually assaulting her in 1993, two people came forward to say that the woman, Tara Reade, had told them of the incident shortly after it allegedly occurred -- her brother, Collin Moulton, and a friend who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution. Now two more sources have come forward to corroborate certain details about Reade's claims. One of them -- a former neighbor of Reade's -- has told Insider for the first time, on the record, that Reade disclosed details about the alleged assault to her in the mid-1990s.... [Lynda] LaCasse told Insider that in 1995 or 1996, Reade told her she had been assaulted by Biden. 'I remember her saying, here was this person that she was working for and she idolized him,' LaCasse said. 'And he kind of put her up against a wall. And he put his hand up her skirt and he put his fingers inside her. She felt like she was assaulted, and she really didn't feel there was anything she could do.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Matt Viser of the Washington Post: "Some allies of President Trump pointed Monday to new claims by a woman who said she was told about sexual assault allegations against Joe Biden decades ago, renewing attention to questions about the past behavior of the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Apparent corroboration surfaced this week for elements of two accusations made by Biden's former Senate aide Tara Reade, one involving harassment and the second a sexual assault.... Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Monday that the allegations against Biden deserve to be scrutinized as much as those against Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, who during his nomination hearings was accused of a past assault.... Trump has been accused by more than a dozen women of sexual assault. He has denied all of the allegations. His son Donald Trump Jr. has repeatedly tweeted about the accusations against Biden in recent days. On Monday afternoon, he retweeted the Business Insider story [linked above].... Three of Reade's supervisors from the time, to whom Reade says she complained about Biden's behavior, have said they don't remember Reade or any complaints from her." Biden has, through a spokesperson, denied the accusations. An AP story is here.
Susannah Luthi of Politico: "The Supreme Court on Monday ruled the federal government owes health insurers massive payments from an Obamacare program shielding them from financial risks after the companies accused Washington of reneging on its funding promises. The 8-1 decision could open the floodgates for federal cash to the insurance industry. Insurers who accused the government of a 'bait and switch' claimed they're owed $12 billion from the Affordable Care Act program. The case concerned a temporary fund in the health care law intended as a buffer for health plans who had sicker customers than expected in the newly overhauled insurance marketplaces. Obamacare's drafters hoped the program would be funded by industry, but health plans quickly racked up losses when the marketplaces opened in 2014. The next year, Republican lawmakers approved the first in a series of annual appropriations riders barring HHS from using taxpayer dollars to bankroll the program, known as risk corridors. The high court agreed with insurers that the congressional spending restrictions didn't release the government from its original promise to fund the Obamacare program." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)"
Way Beyond the Beltway
Hunter Walker of Yahoo! News: "President Trump was asked about the widespread speculation surrounding the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a White House news conference on the coronavirus on Monday. Trump suggested he knew 'exactly' how Kim is doing, but declined to reveal that information. 'Yes I do have a very good idea, but I can't talk about it now,' said Trump when he was asked to provide an update on Kim's condition. 'I just wish him well.'"
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