The Commentariat -- April 1, 2020
Afternoon Update:
Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: It's always heartening when a big movie star takes time out to (write and) read a children's book filled with sage advice for these trying times. So gather the little kiddies around, explain bleeps to them, and enjoy! Thanks to -- well, a lot of people -- for the link(s):
From the Washington Post's live coronavirus updates for Wednesday: "Vice President Pence issued a dire prediction of the spread of the coronavirus, saying Italy, one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic, 'may be the most comparable area to the United States at this point.'... Italian officials on Wednesday reported 727 new deaths, with the fatality rate slowing but raising the nation's toll to 13,155, highest in the world."
From the New York Times' live coronavirus updates for Wednesday: "Speaking at his near-daily White House coronavirus briefing, President Trump said on Wednesday that he still has no plans to institute a national 'stay at home' order that would apply in states whose governors have not mandated strict social distancing."
Nick Miroff of the Washington Post: "The government's emergency stockpile of respirator masks, gloves and other medical supplies is running low and is nearly exhausted due to the coronavirus outbreak, leaving the Trump administration and the states to compete for personal protective equipment in a freewheeling global marketplace rife with profiteering and price-gouging, according to Department of Homeland Security officials involved in the frantic acquisition effort.... Two DHS officials said the stores kept in the Department of Health and Human Service's Strategic National Stockpile are nearly gone, despite assurances from the White House that there is availability.... President Trump said during Tuesday's White House briefing that the administration has nearly 10,000 ventilators on reserve and that authorities are ready to deploy the lifesaving equipment rapidly to coronavirus hotspots in coming weeks. He also said large amounts of PPE were being shipped directly from manufacturers to hospitals. But the DHS officials said the stockpile has not been able to handle the load.
"Forbes reported that U.S. vendors have sold 280 million masks -- mostly into the export market -- and that U.S. states and local governments were outbid in the frenzy. There are few signs the Trump administration is making efforts to stop the export shipments or seize the supplies for use in U.S. hospitals, despite statements from Attorney General William P. Barr last week that U.S. wholesalers hoarding masks and other supplies would get 'a knock on your door.'" Emphasis added. ~~~
~~~ David Sanger, et al., of the New York Times: "President Trump has repeatedly assured Americans that the federal government is holding 10,000 ventilators in reserve to ship to the hardest-hit hospitals around the nation as they struggle to keep the most critically ill patients alive. But what federal officials have neglected to mention is that thousands more of the lifesaving devices are unavailable after the contract to maintain the government's stockpile lapsed late last summer, and a contracting dispute meant that a new firm did not begin its work until late January. By then, the coronavirus crisis was already underway.... Experts say ... they cannot be stored for lengthy periods without maintenance. So few are surprised that as the nation's hospitals scramble to pull together every usable ventilator they can find, some have come out of storage with depleted batteries, missing oxygen hoses and other issues. California recently discovered that 170 of its ventilators arrived broken, disputing the claim from the Department of Health and Human Services that all of the ventilators shipped by the Federal Emergency Management Agency were ready to use."
Fred Imbert & Maggie Fitzgerald of CNBC: "Stocks sank on Wednesday as Wall Street kicked off the second quarter on a sour note amid concerns the coronavirus will keep the economy shut down longer than expected. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 973.65 points lower, or 4.4%, at 20,943.51. The S&P 500 slid 4.4% to 2,470.50 along with the Nasdaq Composite, which closed at 7,360.58. The major averages hit their session lows in the final minutes of trading, with the Dow briefly falling more than 1,100 points."
Another GOP Governor Embarrassed into Not Killing off Residents. Rebecca Klar of the Hill: "Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) said Wednesday he will be issuing a shelter-in-place order in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Kemp said he will sign the order Thursday and it will go into effect Friday, running through April 13. Kemp also announced all k-12 public schools will be closed throughout the rest of the school year. 'I want to encourage my fellow Georgians to hang in there, I know you are tired of this. I know you want to return to business as usual, but we must first overcome the obstacles we have in our path,' Kemp said at his briefing. Kemp reported 4,638 cases and 139 deaths statewide."
Joseph Gerth of the Louisville Courier Journal: "... Mitch McConnell made a stunning admission Tuesday when he went on the 'Hugh Hewitt Show' and acknowledged that ... Donald Trump has botched the federal government's response to the coronavirus. Oh, he didn't come right out and say, 'Trump has screwed this up.' Oh heavens no.... But here's what he said in explaining how Trump responded in the early days of the pandemic: 'It came up while we were tied down in the impeachment trial. And I think it diverted the attention of the government because everything every day was all about impeachment.'... People don't make excuses for their friends who have done nothing wrong. If, in fact, Trump's response had been 'perfect' or 'great' or '10 out of 10,' McConnell would have never, ever needed to cover for misstep after misstep that has led to a lack of sufficient testing, far too few masks, respirators, face shields and gowns to protect our doctors, nurses and first responders -- and far too few ventilators as the pandemic rages."
Fred Barbash of the Washington Post: Florida "has become a coronavirus hot spot.... The number of people testing positive for covid-19 has accelerated rapidly, nearly doubling in the past four days, with 3,274 new cases, bringing the statewide total to 6,741 as of Tuesday evening. The number of people testing positive for covid-19 has accelerated rapidly, nearly doubling in the past four days, with 3,274 new cases, bringing the statewide total to 6,741 as of Tuesday evening.... On Tuesday, [Gov. Ron] DeSantis [R] said at a news conference that he had no plans to issue a statewide order because the White House had not told him to do so.... For this, he won praise from President Trump who called him 'a great governor who knows exactly what he’s doing.'" Mrs. McC: Worth noting: those models Trump was touting yesterday where "only" just less than a quarter-million Americans will die from Covid-19 are predicated on the supposition that all states are under stay-at-home orders by the end of this week. ~~~
~~~ ** UPDATE. Julia Manchester of the Hill: "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced Wednesday that he will sign an executive order requiring the state's residents to limit their movement outside of their homes in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus. DeSantis had faced mounting pressure to issue such a directive, as at least 30 other states have issued stay-at-home orders and a number of counties in Florida have implemented their own mandates seeking to limit nonessential activities."
This. Is. Stupid. Alex Seitz-Wald & Shaquille Brewster of NBC News: "Wisconsin has ordered residents to stay at home, shuttered non-essential businesses, and banned 'all public and private gatherings of any number of people' -- but is still planning to proceed with an election Tuesday amid the coronavirus crisis. Every other state that was supposed to hold a presidential primary contest in late March or April has postponed their elections or switched to vote-by-mail, leaving perhaps the most critical battleground state in the country alone in a now deserted stretch of the electoral calendar. Bernie Sanders, who is to face off against Joe Biden in the election, joined calls to delay the primary Wednesday, but the state's Democratic governor and Republican legislative leaders have resisted calls to move the election, prompting lawsuits, strains on election infrastructure and outcry that voters will have to choose between their health and their right to vote.... [Joe] Biden has not yet commented on whether he believes the election should proceed."
What Does Devin Nunes Think? Zachary Petrizzo of Mediaite: "Congressman Devin Nunes (R-CA) stated that it is 'overkill' for schools in his home state of California to be closed in light of the coronavirus pandemic on Laura Ingraham's Fox News program late Tuesday night -- further downplaying the severity of COVID-19."
~~~~~~~~~~
The New York Times' live updates of the coronavirus pandemic for Wednesday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Wednesday are here.
The New York Times' live updates for coronavirus developments Tuesday is here. "The top government scientists battling the coronavirus estimated Tuesday that the deadly pathogen could kill between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans, in spite of the disruptive social distancing measures that have closed schools, banned large gatherings, limited travel and forced people to stay in their homes. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, and Dr. Deborah L. Birx, who is coordinating the coronavirus response, displayed that grim projection at the White House on Tuesday, calling it 'our real number' but pledging to do everything possible to reduce those numbers even further.... President Trump, who on Sunday extended for 30 days the government's recommendations for slowing the spread of the virus, made it clear that the data compiled by Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx convinced him that the death toll would be even higher if the restrictions on work, school, travel and social life were not taken seriously by all Americans. The data released on Tuesday was the first time that Mr. Trump's administration has officially estimated the breadth of the threat to human life from the coronavirus, and the disease it brings, known as Covid-19. In the past several weeks, Dr. Birx and Dr. Fauci have resisted predicting how many people might die in the pandemic, saying that there was not enough reliable data.
"President Trump said at his daily White House coronavirus briefing that 'this is going to be a very painful, very very painful two weeks,' but that Americans will soon 'start seeing some real light at the end of the tunnel.' 'I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead. We're going through a very tough few weeks,' Mr. Trump said, later raising his two weeks to three. Striking perhaps his most somber tone on the subject to date, Mr. Trump said the virus is a 'great national trial unlike any we have ever faced before.'... Mr. Trump, who spent weeks downplaying the threat of the virus -- and who has retreated from his recent suggestion that social distancing could be scaled back in mid-April -- congratulated himself for projections showing that public health measures may dramatically limit the national death toll." ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's main story, by Philip Rucker & William Wan, on the presser is here. ~~~
~~~ An AP story, by Aamer Madhani & others, on Tuesday's White House coronavirus briefing, is here. "It was an abrupt reversal for Trump, who spent much of last week targeting April 12 as the day he wanted to see Americans 'pack the pews' for Easter Sunday services. Trump called the data 'very sobering,' saying it was his understanding that 100,000 deaths was a minimum that would be difficult to avoid. He also sought to rewrite his past minimization of the outbreak, saying he rejected those who compared the new coronavirus to the flu -- when in fact he repeatedly did so publicly." ~~~
~~~ In the Alternative Universe of the Dear Leader. Daniel Dale, et al., of CNN: "... Donald Trump tried Tuesday to cast himself as the wise leader who rejected the advice of a 'group' of people who had portrayed the coronavirus as a mere flu and had argued that life should go on as normal. He did not mention that he had been the most powerful member of that group. Trump's marathon coronavirus press conference included the usual barrage of specific false claims. But it was more notable for the dishonesty of the broad story he was telling -- an audacious attempt to erase the memory of his relentless efforts to suggest the coronavirus was not a crisis.... He also made a claim that he prevented a much higher death toll, as high as 2.2 million, by taking the virus much more seriously than some other intelligent people.... 'A lot of people have said..., "Ride it out. Don't do anything, just ride it out and think of it as the flu." But it's not the flu. It's vicious,' he said. Trump himself repeatedly told Americans in January and February to think of the coronavirus as the flu.... Asked Tuesday about the period when he was downplaying the coronavirus, Trump said that, during that time, 'people didn't know that much about it, even the experts.'... Trump also accused New York on Tuesday of getting off to a 'very late start' in fighting the virus -- implicitly contrasting New York's leaders with himself.... Trump claimed that it was unknown early on how contagious the coronavirus was.... Since late January and February researchers and health experts were warning the virus was likely highly contagious." ~~~
~~~ At about a minute in, Brian Williams begins a sickening reprise of Trump's Tuesday presser:
Harry Stevens & Shelly Tan of the Washington Post: "As cases increased and stocks tumbled, the presiden's attitude toward the threat of covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has evolved from casual dismissal to reluctant acknowledgment to bellicose mobilization. Below, we trace the winding path of the president's response to the virus, in his own words." ~~~
~~~ Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "President Franklin D. Roosevelt's fireside chats reassured and inspired the nation through Depression and war. During impeachment last fall, President Trump fancied himself likewise addressing Americans 'perhaps as a fireside chat on live television.'... I have therefore taken the liberty of drafting for Trump a fireside chat for our times -- using entirely his own words. [The chat begins,] The coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. We have it totally under control. I'm not concerned at all. It's one person coming in from China. We pretty much shut it down. It will all work out well. We're in great shape. Doesn't spread widely at all in the United States because of the early actions that myself and my administration took. There's a chance it won't spread. It's something that we have tremendous control over.... [The chat ends,] So you're talking about 2.2 million deaths. If we could hold that down ... between 100,000 and 200,000, and we all together have done a very good job. START MAKING VENTILATORS, NOW!!!!!! FORD, GET GOING ON VENTILATORS, FAST!!!!!! Invoke 'P'. I want our life back again. It was nobody's fault. No, just things that happened. I don't take responsibility at all."
Zolan Kanno-Youngs & Ana Swanson of the New York Times: "... the Defense Production Act has been used to place hundreds of thousands of orders by President Trump and his administration to ensure the procurement of vital equipment, according to reports submitted to Congress and interviews with former government officials. Yet as governors and members of Congress plead with the president to use the law to force the production of ventilators and other medical equipment to combat the coronavirus pandemic, he has for weeks treated it like a 'break the glass' last resort, to be invoked only when all else fails. 'You know, we're a country not based on nationalizing our business,' Mr. Trump said earlier this month.... The law's frequent use ... has prompted those most familiar with it to question why the administration has been so hesitant to tap it for a public health emergency that as of Tuesday has killed more than 3,60 Americans and sickened 181,000. 'What's more important? Building an aircraft carrier or a frigate using priority ratings or saving a hundred thousand lives using priorities for ventilators?' said Larry Hall, who retired in August as the director of the Defense Production Act program division at [FEMA]...." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: I'd invest in another hypocrisy meter (Trump broke my old one long ago), but in fairness to Trump, I don't think he has any idea he's used the Defense Production Act many times. Any time he may have signed a document authorizing its use, he probably considered it another manifestation of his "Article II right to do whatever I want" without understanding what he was authorizing. Who knew the government could be so complicated?
The Washington Post's live updates for Tuesday are here. "On Tuesday, the number of reported coronavirus deaths in the United States for the first time topped 800 in a day, according to data compiled by The Washington Post. The total U.S. death count exceeds 3,700, which is more than the numbers reported by China. The previous highest U.S. daily toll was more than 500. Most deaths Tuesday were in New York, where 332 people were reported dead. Michigan reported 75 deaths, New Jersey reported 69 and Louisiana reported 54. Nationwide, there were more than 24,000 new confirmed cases reported Tuesday. The new total did not include deaths from Washington, where officials are working to fix a glitch in the health department's system for tracking the outbreak.
"The [federal] Bureau of Prisons is restricting all federal inmates to their cells, with limited exceptions, for the next two weeks to try to reduce the spread of the coronavirus behind bars, authorities announced Tuesday.... Attorney General William P. Barr also directed the bureau to increase the use of home confinement for those who had already served a substantial portion of their sentence, were deemed to pose no threat and might suffer from preexisting conditions that would make them particularly vulnerable."
~~~ "Not Winning." David Leonhardt of the New York Times: "... the other three countries with the world's largest number of confirmed [coronavirus] cases -- Italy, China and Spain -- were all making significant progress at a similar point in their outbreaks. But the response in the United States has been slow and uneven.... The United States is badly behind. Both South Korea and the United States had their first confirmed case around the same day, in late January.... South Korea has suffered only about 150 deaths, one-twentieth as many as the United States." Mrs. McC: I don't think you people believed me yesterday when I linked to Leonhardt's column without posting the graph! Now do you believe Trump has established a new definition of "American exceptionalism"? (Also linked yesterday.)
Boston Globe Editors: "Catastrophic decisions in the White House have doomed the world's richest country to a season of untold suffering. The United States, long a beacon of scientific progress and medical innovation with its world-class research institutions and hospitals, is now the hub of a global pandemic that has infected at least 745,000 people and already claimed more than 35,000 lives worldwide.... Much of the profound impact [the novel coronavirus] will have here in the United States was preventable.... What we have instead is a president epically outmatched by a global pandemic.... [We] have a White House marred by corruption and incompetence, whose mixed messages roil the markets and rock their sense of security. Instead of compassion and clarity, the president, in his near-daily addresses to the nation, embodies callousness, self-concern, and a lack of compass." Mrs. McC: Not sure why this editorial came up for me -- could be a freebie, could be I'm under my limit. Anyway, it's mighty damning & worth a read if you can access it.
Cristina Alesci & Kaitlan Collins of CNN: "As he was facing intense criticism for a lack of adequate testing..., Donald Trump announced in the Rose Garden in mid-March that the federal government would partner with private companies to set up drive-thru coronavirus testing sites. He invited chief executives from Target, Walgreens, Walmart and CVS to the microphone and showered them with praise over the new effort.... But the President's celebrated announcement hasn't come close to being fulfilled. While these retailers have approximately 30,000 locations combined, the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that there are only five locations from these major retailers that are currently offering drive-thru testing -- and none are [is!] open to the general public." Mrs. McC: This pie-in-the-sky project was part of one of Jared Kushner's shadow side deals, so you knew from the git-go it would be a flop. But a grift with potential!
No, the Right Hand Doesn't Know What the Left Hand Is Doing. Natasha Bertrand, et al., of Politico: ">Last week, a Trump administration official working to secure much-needed protective gear for doctors and nurses in the United States ... [was] informed by the puzzled voices on the other side of the line that a U.S. shipment of the same supplies, the second of two so far, was already on its way to Bangkok. Trump aides ... immediately put the shipment on hold while they ordered a review of U.S. aid procedures.... The incidents have spurred the Pence-led coronavirus task force to scrutinize all of USAID's deliveries to countries requesting personal protective equipment (PPE) needed to fight the outbreak, according to people directly involved in the discussions.... The administration has also placed a moratorium on overseas shipments of USAID's stockpiles of protective gear and is asking that the equipment be sent to the U.S. instead, other officials said.... 'The problem is, there's not one person who's in charge of this, which is why we're instituting a review process that is led by the White House coronavirus task force,' a person directly involved with the review said."
Lena Sun & Laurie McGinley of the Washington Post: "Federal officials debating whether to recommend that face coverings be routinely worn in public are responding to increasing evidence that infected people without symptoms can spread the coronavirus, according to internal memos provided to the White House by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Simple cloth masks that cover the mouth and nose can prevent virus transmission from such individuals when they are out buying groceries or seeking medical care, according to the memos obtained by The Washington Post. But the documents note that widespread public use of masks is not culturally accepted in the United States the way it is in many Asian countries, where face coverings helped reduce the spread of the virus. The memos were drafted in recent days by the CDC and sent to officials at the Department of Health and Human Services and the White House coronavirus task force for consideration of masks as an additional measure to slow the pandemic." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: I went to the grocery store at 6 am Tuesday, and at least half the people there -- including me -- were wearing masks or some other kind of mouth & nose covering. I found the look "culturally acceptable."
Sadly, This Is Not an April Fool's Joke. Susannah Luthi of Politico: "The Trump administration has decided against reopening Obamacare enrollment to uninsured Americans during the coronavirus pandemic, defying calls from health insurers and Democrats to create a special sign-up window amid the health crisis.... Donald Trump and administration officials recently said they were considering relaunching HealthCare.gov, the federal enrollment site, and insurers said they privately received assurances from health officials overseeing the law's marketplace. However, a White House official on Tuesday evening told Politico the administration will not reopen the site for a special enrollment period, and that the administration is 'exploring other options.'" Mrs. McC: They're just meaner than a pack of junkyard dogs.
Sahil Kapur of NBC News: "New information from the IRS on Monday shines more light on what people can do to get the checks from the government as quickly as possible while many families worry about paying the bills and buying food during the coronavirus crisis that has cost millions of people their jobs. For Americans eligible for stimulus cash under the new relief law, the fastest way to receive it is to make sure they've filed a tax return for 2019 or 2018 with bank information so the government can directly deposit the money. The IRS says it will use a person's 2019 return to calculate eligibility and automatically send the money to those who qualify. If they haven't filed a 2019 return, it'll be based on the 2018 return. The agency said it would publish additional information about the new forms soon on irs.gov/coronavirus. Mrs. McC: If your income fluctuated considerably from 2018 to 2019, seems as if some strategic filing decision might be in order. (Also linked yesterday.)
Sarah Burris of the Raw Story: "The captain of the nuclear aircraft carrier the USS Theodore Roosevelt is begging for help while the coronavirus quickly spreads among the crew. The San Francisco Chronicle reported Tuesday that between 150 and 200 sailors have tested positive for COVID-19 on the carrier of more than 4,000. Capt. Brett Crozier wrote a four-page letter begging the Navy for help while they're docked in Guam." (Also linked yesterday.)
Mitch McConnell on How to Blame Democrats for the Crisis. Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday blamed the Democrats' push to impeach President Trump in January for distracting the Trump administration from the threat posed by the coronavirus. 'It came up while we were tied down in the impeachment trial. And I think it diverted the attention of the government because everything every day was all about impeachment,' McConnell said in an interview on 'The Hugh Hewitt Show.'" ~~~
~~~ George Conway in a Washington Post op-ed: "There should have been shame enough ... in turning the Senate impeachment trial into a sham by refusing to hear a single live witness. But it turns out Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was just getting started. On Tuesday, he added to the disgrace by claiming that impeachment distracted officials from dealing with the coronavirus..... This is gaslighting of the highest order.... The impeachment trial ended on Feb. 5. In reality, it was over before it even started, thanks in large part to McConnell. The only drama was about whether there'd be any witnesses -- and that ended on Jan. 31, when the Senate voted not to hear testimony. That left plenty of time to deal with the virus. And ... impeachment didn't consume the government. Trump managed to get to Mar-a-Lago at least four times in January and February.... He held five campaign rallies around the country during the impeachment trial.... Most importantly, impeachment didn't keep U.S. intelligence agencies from warning the president and Congress in January and February about the danger of the virus.... The problem wasn't impeachment -- it was the president."
Tia Mitchell & Chris Joyner of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler's [R-Ga.] most recent financial disclosures show that millions of dollars in stocks were sold on her behalf at the same time Congress was dealing with the impact of the coronavirus. The largest transactions -- and the most politically problematic -- involve $18.7 million in sales of Intercontinental Exchange stock in three separate deals dated Feb. 26 and March 11. Loeffler is a former executive with ICE, and her husband, Jeff Sprecher, is the CEO of the company, which owns the New York Stock Exchange among other financial marketplaces. During the same time period reflected on reports filed late Tuesday, the couple also sold shares in retail stores such as Lululemon and T.J. Maxx and invested in a company that makes COVID-19 protective garments.... Previous reports -- which have put Loeffler in the national spotlight -- covered her trading during [only] the first six weeks of 2020.... The newer stock sales came as the broader markets were diving, and they are likely to fuel allegations that Georgia's new senator used her insider knowledge about the severity of the pandemic to dump holdings while simultaneously releasing statements about the strength of the American economy and complimenting ... Donald Trump on his response. The STOCK Act, a law that went into effect in 2012, makes it illegal for senators to use inside information for financial gain."
From the Washington Post's live updates for Tuesday: "New York City's death toll from the coronavirus pandemic passed 1,000 on Tuesday, according to the city health department, as officials warned that it could be nearly another week before the outbreak peaked.... Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) on Tuesday pleaded with President Trump to send thousands more ventilators to treat people with severe cases of covid-19, and called on oral surgeons, plastic surgeons and veterinarians to offer up their devices as well.
"Louisiana reported by far its largest number of new coronavirus cases in a 24-hour period Tuesday afternoon, with reported infections and deaths each jumping about 30 percent, as state leaders renewed calls for residents to comply with social distancing rules, and crackdowns on violators continued.
"Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he is in regular communication with the White House's coronavirus task force and that, to this point, it has not recommended a stay-at-home order for the state.... President Trump was asked during a White House briefing about DeSantis's comments. He dodged the question by saying that the governor 'knows exactly what he's doing' and punted to Vice President Pence." ~~~
~~~ Actually, DeSantis Doesn't Seem to Know Exactly What He's Doing. ... Lawrence Mower of the Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau: "Ali Mokdad, a professor at the University of Washington ... [and] an epidemiologist advising the White House..., told the Herald/Times that he told DeSantis' surgeon general, Scott Rivkees, that the state should issue a blanket stay-at-home order mandating the closure of non-essential businesses and social distance to slow the spread of the coronavirus. DeSantis expressed surprise about the [Herald/Times] story, which had been published Tuesday hours before his news conference. 'Who recommended that?' he asked the reporter. After given more explanation, DeSantis said he has heard no such direction from anyone with the White House Task force team."
Jeremy Stahl of Slate: "While the federal response [to the pandemic] led by ... Donald Trump largely sought to keep the public in the dark about the extent of the crisis, [New York Gov. Andrew] Cuomo's briefings are hailed as the most reliable source of public information in the country. But in recent days, it's become clearer and clearer that Cuomo's initial response to the crisis lagged behind that of some of his fellow Democratic governors -- most notably Washington's Jay Inslee and California's Gavin Newsom. Newsom and Inslee both reacted more swiftly and forcefully to the crisis in ways that are saving lives on the West Coast...."
Rebecca Klar of the Hill: "Tennis courts in Queens that are part of the U.S. Open complex will reportedly be turned into temporary hospitals as New York City works to relieve pressure on medical centers struggling to manage an influx of patients due to the coronavirus pandemic. An indoor training area at the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is expected to house 350 medical beds starting Tuesday, a USTA spokesman told The Wall Street Journal." (Also linked yesterday.)
Some Setbacks for Misogynists. Alice Ollstein of Politico: "Federal judges on Monday lifted restrictions Texas, Ohio and Alabama imposed on abortion during the coronavirus pandemic in decisions that could have repercussions for several more Republican-led states that have deemed the procedure non-essential during the crisis.... Iowa, Mississippi and Oklahoma are among the other states that recently moved to suspend access to the procedure as the pandemic intensified, arguing it would preserve desperately needed medical supplies." (Also linked yesterday.)
Bethany Biron of Business Insider: "As Hobby Lobby continues its mission to keep doors open in the face of the coronavirus, the arts-and-crafts retailer is quietly reopening stores around the country, defying states' stay-at-home policies. On Monday, the company resumed business in several states where it had been forced to temporarily close. A March 28 memo obtained by Business Insider equipped managers with talking points for 'how to respond and communicate if visited by a local authority that asks why we are open.' In a separate leaked note sent last week, executives wrote that the company 'is going to make every effort to continue working the employees.' The reopenings include stores in Ohio and Wisconsin -- which both enacted strict shelter-in-place orders on March 24 -- where nearly all Hobby Lobby locations have been reopened after shuttering for only one week.... Elsewhere, in states such as Colorado and North Carolina -- which enacted stay-at-home protocols in the past few days -- Hobby Lobby is avoiding shutting down altogether, insisting it is 'essential' because it sells educational materials and products for home-based businesses."~~~
~~~ BUT, But, how could this be? Hobby Lobby is a totally "Christian company" dedicated to "Christian principles" and rabid advocates for "life." Of course the company does seem to think you should knit or tat instead of having sex for any reason other than procreation, making crafts supplies "essential."
Brian Stelter of CNN: "CNN anchor Chris Cuomo said Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with Covid-19. He is feeling well, and will continue to anchor his 9 p.m. program ... from his home.... 'I have been exposed to people in recent days who have subsequently tested positive and I had fevers, chills and shortness of breath,' he wrote [on Twitter].... Cuomo was most recently at CNN's offices in the Hudson Yards neighborhood of New York City last Friday. He anchored from his home on Monday, and interviewed his brother, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo."
Alexandra Petri of the New York Times: At the prompting of [Gui] Cavalcanti -- "the founder of the Open Source COVID19 Medical Supplies, a Facebook group that is crowdsourcing solutions to address the diminishing stock of medical equipment around the world -- ... the world's open-source enthusiasts have banded together to dig up and catalog blueprints of critical do-it-yourself gear and tools that can save lives. Mr. Cavalcant ... initially intended to focus on ventilators. A front-line surgeon in the Bay Area convinced him to go after the low-hanging fruit: sanitizer, gloves, gowns and masks for medical professionals. Stacks of ventilators wouldn't do the public any good if there were no health care workers to operate them.... In just over two weeks, the Facebook group has grown to nearly 50,000 people. Members share their designs or mock-ups for various pieces of equipment, and offer moral support and encouragement." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
Yes, There Are Leaders Worse Than Trump
(1) Joanna Kakissis of NPR: "The Central Asian country of Turkmenistan claims it has no coronavirus cases. But if you happen to utter the word 'coronavirus' while waiting, say, for the bus in the white-marbled capital Ashgabat, there's a good chance you'll be arrested. That's because the Turkmen government, run since 2006 by the flamboyant dentist-rapper strongman Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, has reportedly banned the word, according to Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF)."
(2) From today's New York Times live coronavirus updates: "Putting even more pressure on a news media sector already under assault by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India's Supreme Court released an order Tuesday night requiring news organizations to publish everything that the government says about the coronavirus.... Anyone who creates a panic can be punished by up to a year in jail, the court said. The Indian ruling echoes the actions of other governments, who have used the pandemic as a pretext to grab power or impose authoritarian restrictions.
"Global desperation to protect front-line medical workers battling the coronavirus epidemic has spurred a mad international scramble for masks and other protective gear. Governments, hospital chains, clinics and entrepreneurs are scouring the world for personal protection equipment they can buy or sell -- and a new type of trader has sprung up to make that happen. The market has become a series of hasty deals in bars, sudden calls to corporate jet pilots and fast-moving wire transfers among bank accounts in Hong Kong, the United States, Europe and the Caribbean.... Wholesale costs for N95 respirators, a crucial type of mask for protecting medical workers, have quintupled. Trans-Pacific airfreight charges have tripled. 'It's a global free-for-all, trying to get capacity,' said Eric Jantzen, the vice president for North America at Vertis Aviation, an aircraft and air cargo brokerage based in Zurich. 'And the prices reflect that.'"
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