The Commentariat -- March 12, 2020
Afternoon Update:
New York Times (from the paper's live market updates): "Stocks continued their plunge on Thursday, as President Trump's latest effort to address the coronavirus outbreak -- a ban on the entry from most European countries to the United States -- disappointed investors who have been waiting for Washington to take steps to bolster the economy. Trading was turbulent, with stocks staging a brief comeback as investors reacted to the Federal Reserve's decision to offer at least $1.5 trillion worth of loans to banks to help smooth out the functioning of the financial markets. But the selling picked up again by midafternoon. The S&P 500 closed down about 9.5 percent, its biggest daily drop since the stock market crashed in 1987, on what came to be known as Black Monday. The decline has left stocks in the United States firmly in a bear market -- a term that signifies a decline of 20 percent from the most recent highs. For the Dow Jones industrial average, the drop of 10 percent was also its worst since the 1987 stock market crash." ~~~
~~~ Pippa Stevens & Fred Imbert of CNBC: ";The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 10%, posting its largest one-day percentage drop since the October 1987 crash. That day, the Dow collapsed by more than 22%. The S&P 500 joined the Dow in closing Thursday's session squarely in a bear market, down more than 20% from the all-time highs set just a month ago. The indexes also ended an 11-year bull run, the longest on record. It took the Dow just 19 trading days fall from a record high into a bear market. The S&P 500′s move was even swifter, taking the broad index just 16 trading days to tumble into a bear market. Peter Boockvar, chief investment officer at Bleakley Advisory Group, said the economic damage is 'deep and profound' and that 'until we get to spring time when hopefully this goes away, we as investors are all flying blind.' The Federal Reserve announced extraordinary funding actions of more than $1 trillion to ease strained capital markets in the wake of the coronavirus sell-off. The news gave stocks a brief boost before they headed lower again."
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Maybe it isn't a coincidence that the markets crash when a Republican is president: 1929, 1987, 2008, 2019. This time an "adjustment" was inevitable, but Trump's indifference & incompetence was the immediate cause for the past week's tumble. BTW, Mr. Bleakley there, with his brilliant belief that the virus will "hopefully go away in the spring, tra la," is suffering from a severe case of festering Trumpophilia.
Mike Stobbe & Matthew Perrone of the AP: "The U.S. lag in coronavirus testing is 'a failing,' a top federal health official said Thursday, and public health experts say they still don't have a good understanding of how widely the new virus has spread. The effort initially was hobbled by delays in getting testing kits out to public health labs, but the stumbles have continued, leading scientists to conclude that the virus has already spread far wider than government officials are reporting. U.S. health officials, for example, promised nearly a month ago to tap into a national network of labs that monitor for flu. That system is only just getting started. On Thursday, Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health agreed that the U.S. needs to improve how it's testing. 'The system is not really geared to what we need right now,' he said. 'That is a failing. It is a failing, let's admit it.'"
Eric Levitz of New York: "In response to this mounting [pandemic] crisis, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called on Congress to waste no time in commencing its previously planned vacation.... McConnell insisted that the Senate would not pass any legislation addressing the coronavirus emergency until it took a seven-day breather.... Hours later, however, McConnell changed course. After calls from multiple Senate Republicans to cancel the impending recess, the Senate Majority Leader announced that his caucus would work through next week on compromise legislation.... Even [if going ahead with the recess was] a bluff, McConnell's stance was insane. It's hard to imagine a more politically toxic talking point than, 'Democrats may want to take immediate action on this public health emergency, but the Republican Party believes it is entitled to a weeklong break before tackling such a demanding project.'"
Mrs. McCrabbie: Joe Biden just gave a speech on what is needed to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The contrast between Biden's remarks with Trump's robotic teleprompter performance last night was jarring. Biden's speech was fairly perfect. I hope Trump watched to get a glimpse of what it means to "be presidential." ~~~
** Washington Post Breaking News: "A Brazilian official who met President Trump and Vice President Pence at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday has tested positive for coronavirus. Fabio Wajngarten, a spokesman for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, tested positive for covid-19, Brazilian officials said. Wajngarten stood next to Trump and Pence, a photograph taken in Florida shows. Trump said he 'isn't concerned' about the development, according to a White House pool report." (From the WashPo's live updates for today.) ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Trump may be trying to pin the severity of the coronavirus pandemic on pence, but Mother pence has brought the calico curtains down from the attic & is embroidering "25th Amendment" into the hems.
Lucy Bayly of NBC News: "The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 2,000 points Thursday morning after ... Donald Trump's long-awaited response to the coronavirus epidemic triggered a massive sell-off on Wall Street. The S&P 500 plunged by 7 percent, triggering a circuit breaker, which halts all trading on the New York Stock Exchange for 15 minutes. All three major averages sank after Trump's Oval Office address Wednesday night failed to satisfy traders who were hoping for more concrete steps to allay any economic slowdown from the viral outbreak."
Rebecca Shabad of NBC News: "Vice President Mike Pence said Thursday that there has been 'irresponsible rhetoric' from people who have downplayed the seriousness of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak. In an interview on the 'Today' show, Savannah Guthrie asked what message Pence sends to people who aren't afraid of the coronavirus and think it's just politics and hype, quoting from ... Donald Trump who said on Monday that the 'fake news media and their partner, the Democrat Party, is doing everything to inflame the coronavirus situation.' 'There's been some irresponsible rhetoric, but the American people should know President Trump has no higher priority than the health and safety and well being of the people of this country,' Pence said in response but it was not clear who he was referring to."
The Unflappable Nancy Pelosi. Heather Caygle & John Bresnahan of Politico: "... for all Trump's omnipresence on Twitter and cable TV, [Speaker Nancy] Pelosi remains the dominant figure on Capitol Hill when it comes time to actually getting something accomplished.... The [coronavirus] episode plays to her strengths as the longtime Democratic leader: Figure out your goals, move quickly, and build your support on the fly, while always keeping your eye on the magic 218-vote number. The sheer variety of national emergencies Pelosi has faced during her 17 years as House Democratic leader is stunning, and represents the turbulent nature of 21st century American life -- Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, the 2008 financial crisis, the federal government shutdowns of 2013 and 2018-19, and Trump's recent impeachment, are among the highlights.... 'I've gone through a number of these crises with her as the leader and she is unflappable,' said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.). 'The last thing we need is some kind of a hot-headed leader trying to figure out what we can do to hurt the other side,' he added. 'She don't play that game.'"
Sarah Ferris, et al., of Politico: "The U.S. Capitol will cease all public tours through at least the end of March amid mounting fears of a widespread coronavirus outbreak, according to multiple people familiar with the decision. Speaker Nancy Pelosi informed members of the decision in a Wednesday afternoon meeting, which is intended to help prevent the spread of the virus across the sprawling Capitol campus, where many senior-aged lawmakers are already at higher risk. The restriction applies to all tours -- public, staff-led and member-led. By the end of the week, the Capitol complex will be restricted to official business only, people familiar with the decision said. The move -- which was made jointly by congressional leaders, Capitol security officials and medical staff -- comes amid mounting pressure from lawmakers and aides to restrict public access to the building."
Gary Fineout of Politico: "Joe Biden is in line to deliver a knockout punch to Bernie Sanders in Florida in Tuesday's Democratic primary, according to a new poll that gives the former vice president a staggering 44-point lead over his opponent. Biden is lapping Sanders in voter support, with support from 66 percent of likely Democratic primary voters to 22 percent for Sanders, according to a University of North Florida poll taken March 5-10."
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Travel Bans Я Us. Washington Post Breaking News: "In a Wednesday evening national address, President Trump announced [a] ban on travel between U.S. and Europe for 30 days, beginning Friday at midnight. The ban will not include travel to and from the United Kingdom. The president said he is directing the Small Business Administration to provide low-interest loans to affected small businesses, and calling on Congress to increase funding for this program by an additional $50 billion, and to provide 'immediate payroll tax relief.' He is also instructing the Treasury Department to defer tax payments without interest or penalties for certain individuals and businesses that have been impacted." An NBC News report is here. You can watch Trump deliver the address in a montone here. ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Worth noting: the U.K. has a higher number of coronavirus cases than the majority of European countries. But Anglo-Saxon, ~~~
~~~ AND. Laura McGann of Vox: "President Trump just used the powerful symbol of his office to attempt to divide us. Seated behind his desk in the White House Wednesday, Trump looked into the camera and warned Americans of an enemy who has infiltrated our borders. We are at war, he said, with a 'foreign virus.'... When he should have been calling on Americans to come together, he attempted to make us afraid of all of Europe.... Linking outsiders to germs, of course ... [has] been part of many dark chapters in world history.... And Trump's big announcement ignores the fact that the virus is already in the United States, spreading locally.... Medical experts reacted critically to Trump's ban by pointing out that it ignores the work that really needs to be done, such as testing to assess the full scale of the crisis and mass communication with the public about how to prevent the spread." ~~~
~~~ Paul LeBlanc of CNN: "The President's reference to the virus as 'foreign' echoes a tweet he shared earlier this week promoting a US southern-border wall as a way to protect Americans from the 'China Virus.' Trump, adding his own comment to the tweet, said, 'Going up fast. We need the Wall more than ever!' The post was met with fierce pushback from critics, including Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden, who tweeted, 'A wall won't stop a virus. Racism won't stop a virus. Do your job.'" ~~~
~~~ AND a Xenophobia Dividend for Trump. Ryan Heath of Politico: "... Donald Trump's new European travel restrictions have a convenient side effect: They exempt nations where three Trump-owned golf resorts are located." ~~~
~~~ Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Trump on Wednesday night blocked most visitors from continental Europe to the United States and vowed emergency aid to workers and small businesses as the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a global pandemic, stock markets plunged further and millions of people cut themselves off from their regular lives. In a prime-time address from the Oval Office, Mr. Trump outlined a series of measures intended to tackle the virus and its economic impact as he sought to reassure Americans that he was taking the crisis seriously after previously playing down the scope of the outbreak. He said he would halt travelers from Europe other than Britain for 30 days and asked Congress to support measures like a payroll tax cut. 'The virus will not have a chance against us,' Mr. Trump declared in his 10-minute speech, reading from a teleprompter in an uncharacteristic monotone." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: This was as close to a hostage video as you'll witness a president* give. The guys with the guns surely were just off-camera. As far as the virus "not having a chance against us," Trump is depending on the kindness of strangers. Beating the coronavirus depends upon all Americans acting responsibly & making life-altering sacrifices. Yet Trump has trained his lemmings to follow his example of criminal self-interest. Are they now to turn around and become model citizens, often at great personal cost, while Trump swans around preceded by a band of servants bearing sanitary wipes? I don't think so. It isn't just that Trump has fucked up management of the official coronavirus response; he also has created an environment in which members of his "base" are ever-more disinclined to do their unofficial part. ~~~
~~~ Yo, Trump: No Country Is an Island. And that includes Australia, which looks a lot like an island. but where Tom Hanks & Rita Wilson, who are visiting the country, have announced they tested positive (because people can get tested there) for Covid-19. Both Hanks & Wilson are over 60 years old.
Jonathan Chait: “... Trump revealed in his Oval Office speech that he does not comprehend the most basic facts. Trump's speech had no mention of the central problem..., which is the lack of a functioning testing regime. Having falsely promised on Friday that everybody who currently wants a test can get one, Trump simply ignored the question altogether.... While he did urge the audience to wash their hands, he likewise ignored the question of public gatherings, which is being resolved without any apparent input from the administration.... His primary public health gesture was the announcement of a travel ban from Europe. The explanation for this measure was terrifyingly ignorant. 'We have seen fewer cases of the virus than are now present in Europe,' he boasted. This may not even be true. (It is possible that the U.S. only knows about fewer cases because of its atrocious testing regime.)... Perhaps most astonishingly, the White House had to retract two policy announcements that Trump erroneously made.... Trump announced his European travel ban would apply to 'trade and cargo,' before the White House announced this was an error. Trump also told his audience, 'I met with the leaders of health insurance industry who have agreed to waive all co-payments for coronavirus treatments, extend insurance coverage to these treatments and to prevent surprise medical billing.' The Insurance Industry quickly announced it had only agreed to cover testing, not treatment, for the coronavirus."
The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments are here. A few "highlights" as of 8 am ET: "The European Commission, the governing body of the European Union, issued a scathing statement condemning [Trump's travel ban]. 'The coronavirus is a global crisis, not limited to any continent and it requires cooperation rather than unilateral action,' it said. 'The European Union disapproves of the fact that the U.S. decision to impose a travel ban was taken unilaterally and without consultation.'... Tens of thousands of Americans in Europe scrambled to figure out what they needed to do before the 30-day travel ban goes into effect on Friday, many unclear on the scope of the ban and worried that their flights home would be canceled.... The coronavirus is increasingly altering American life, as churches shut their doors, large gatherings in some regions are forbidden and the N.B.A. suspended the rest of its season...." ~~~
~~~ The Guardian's live updates are here.
Fred Imbert & Thomas Franck of CNBC (at about 8 am ET): "Futures contracts tied to the major U.S. stock indexes dove early Thursday after an address from ... Donald Trump failed to quell concerns over the possible economic slowdown from the coronavirus. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial average, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 all traded at the so-called limit down threshold, off by 5%. Dow futures implied a loss of more than 1,100 points at the open. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY), which tracks the S&P 500, was down more than 5% in the premarket."
Robert Costa, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump, in an explosive tirade Monday, urged Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to encourage Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell to do more to stimulate the economy, three officials familiar with the exchange said, revealing the president's mounting fury as his administration struggles to corral economic fallout from the novel coronavirus.... During that tense Monday meeting in the Oval Office, Trump fumed that Powell never should have been appointed and is damaging the nation and his presidency. He then told Mnuchin, who had encouraged Trump to nominate Powell in 2017, to engage with the chair and ask him to take more dramatic steps to arrest the stock market's plummet.... Trump's ... also suggested to other officials that they call the Fed chair and ask him to consider further interest rate cuts, the officials said.... Trump has blamed Powell in the past for the stock market's poor performance, [for instance,] in 2018, when it was sliding because of anxiety about Trump's trade war with China...." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: To take a trip down memory lane, let us recall that Trump appointed Powell after he fired Janet Yellin because she was too short to lead the Fed. Of course, Trump would be blaming Yellin now for not doing the same things Powell is not doing. AND ~~~
~~~ Asawin Suebsaeng & Sam Brodey of the Daily Beast: "... negotiations around ... a [coronavirus economic] package have been complicated by the fact that ... Donald Trump can't stand the idea of negotiating one-on-one with ... Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Indeed, he suspects that she would use the moment to try to humiliate him. Two senior Trump administration officials described a president who, out of an intense bitterness toward the House Speaker, has shuddered at the prospect of being in the same room with her.... Instead, Trump has deputized some of his more prominent lieutenants to handle the delicate negotiations. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, in particular, has emerged as one of the administration's top envoys to Capitol Hill.... The president and the Speaker have not spoken at all in recent days, according to her office. The president has also not spoken to Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), according to his office." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Instead of listening to Trump's proposals to help himself & his friends, Democrats should force Republicans to use this crisis as an opportunity to pass legislation guaranteeing paid sick leave for all workers. ~~~
~~~ BUT. Dave Jamieson of the Huffington Post: "Democrats hoping to pass an emergency paid sick leave bill to deal with the fallout from the coronavirus were stymied by Senate Republicans on Wednesday. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) tried to speed the measure up for a vote on the Senate floor through a procedural maneuver, but an objection from Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) prevented the bill from bypassing the Republican-controlled health committee.... Although the bill is bottled up for now, Democrats could try to attach the measure to another legislative package aimed at dealing with the virus. Democrats proposed the emergency legislation in both chambers last week." ~~~
~~~ MEANWHILE. Cristina Marcos & Mike Lillis of the Hill: "House Democrats late Wednesday night introduced emergency legislation to help reduce the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak by providing financial backing to those most immediately affected, including an expansion of paid sick leave and unemployment benefits. A vote is expected Thursday, just before lawmakers leave Washington for a previously scheduled week-long recess. The bill is expected to pass easily through the House, though it remains unclear when -- or if -- the Republican-controlled Senate will take it up.... The legislation largely mirrors the principles laid out by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) earlier this week to ensure paid sick leave for all workers, bolster unemployment insurance, guarantee free coronavirus testing and expand federal food assistance for low-income families and children." Mrs. McC: Funny, innit, how the "do-nothing" Democrats are able to write, introduce & presumably pass effective legislation while Republicans, uh, do nothing but obstruct?
~~~ Anita Kumar of the Washington Post (March 11 @ 4:10 pm ET): "... Donald Trump is reluctant to declare an expansive emergency to combat the escalating coronavirus outbreak, fearful of stoking panic with such a dramatic step, according to three people familiar with the situation. Instead, the president is expected to sign within days what the White House calls a more limited designation to allow the federal government to cover small business loans, paychecks for hourly workers and delay tax bills, giving him a way to begin boosting the economy without waiting for Congress to sign off on an economic stimulus package.... There's no deadline for a decision, but one of the people familiar with the talks said Trump's aides will not give the president a final verdict until Jared Kushner ... talks to relevant parties and presents his findings to the president." Mrs. McC: Oh, great. ~~~
~~~ "It's All up to Jared Now." Kevin Drum of Mother Jones: "We are doomed.... And the 'final verdict' rests on the shoulders of Jared Kushner, who hasn't proven himself competent at anything over the past three years, let alone matters of infectious disease control."
Ben Winck of Business Insider: "US stocks slid on Wednesday as investors mulled the timeline for the White House's stimulus measures in response to the coronavirus outbreak. All three major indexes tanked roughly 5%, erasing gains made during Tuesday's rebound. The drop ushered in another day of heightened volatility from coronavirus risks and the escalating oil-market war between Russia and Saudi Arabia.... The Dow Jones industrial average slid into a bear market -- or a more than 20% decline from its February 19 high -- ending the equity benchmark's longest period of expansion. Here's where major US indexes closed on Wednesday: S&P 500: 2,741.38, down 4.9%[;] Dow Jones industrial average: 23,553.53, down 5.9% (1,465 points)[;] Nasdaq composite: 7,952.05, down 4.7%[.]"
Jamie Ducharme of Time: "The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic, pointing to the over 118,000 cases of the coronavirus illness in over 110 countries and territories around the world and the sustained risk of further global spread. 'This is not just a public health crisis, it is a crisis that will touch every sector,' said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, at a media briefing. 'So every sector and every individual must be involved in the fights.' An epidemic refers to an uptick in the spread of a disease within a specific community. By contrast, the WHO defines a pandemic as global spread of a new disease, though the specific threshold for meeting that criteria is fuzzy." (Also linked yesterday.)
David Nakamura, et al., of the Washington Post: "Big cities are moving to shut down large public gatherings to protect against the coronavirus, but President Trump is scheduled to depart Washington on Thursday for a three-day visit to Las Vegas, where he will deliver remarks to an estimated crowd of 1,500 at the Republican Jewish Coalition national meeting. Conference organizers and the city's elected officials said the event is a go even though about one-quarter of those who signed up for the conference have dropped out. High-profile speakers, including former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, remain on the agenda. And Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are speaking at a preconference dinner with prominent Jewish Republicans on Thursday evening." Mrs. McC: I'm guessing members of the Republican Jewish Coalition are mostly elderly people from New Rochelle.
~~~ Update: According to MSNBC, the White House cancelled this event late Wednesday night.
Quint Forgey & Nolan McCaskill of Politico: "The nation's top health officials cautioned Wednesday that the U.S. will see more coronavirus cases as the domestic outbreak spreads, a stark warning that comes as Congress looks to head off the outbreak's economic impact and global health organizations declare it a full-blown pandemic. More than 1,000 people in the U.S. have already been diagnosed with the coronavirus in 38 states, leaving at least 29 people dead. But Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told members of the House Oversight Committee that 'we will see more cases, and things will get worse. How much worse ... will depend on our ability to do two things: to contain the influx in people who are infected coming from the outside and the ability to contain and mitigate within our own country,' Fauci said.... Fauci ... not[ed] that it's 10 times more lethal than influenza, which kills nearly .01* percent of Americans who get it each year." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ * Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Blake (linked immediately below) cites this figure at 0.1 percent. I thought I'd better listen to the tape, which is here. Blake is right. So the common flu is ten times as bad as Politico reports, making the projected coronavirus mortality rate ten times as great, too. But still, only one percent (for coronavirus) by that calculation. However, it's worth noting that since older people & those with underlying health issues are more likely to contract coronavirus, the percentage of mortality in the elderly/ill population will be higher than that for the entire population. Update: AND, as Victoria pointed out at the end of yesterday's thread, the mortality rate for this at-risk population is higher than for the general population.
~~~ Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "Over and over again [during his testimony, Anthony Fauci] differed with President Trump’s talking points that play down the threat posed by the novel coronavirus, and he even differed with decisions Trump has made." Blake goes over a list of where Fauci's testimony disagreed with Trump's ignorant pronouncements. "... what Fauci said puts Trump in a box. Now when he trots out assertions such as the flu comparison, Fauci's comments will be right there as a counterpoint from a true health expert." Worth a read. ~~~
~~~ Brad Reed of the Raw Story: "During a House Oversight Committee hearing on the virus, Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX) tried to get Dr. Anthony Fauci ... to say that the media was overhyping the dangers posed by the coronavirus." Cloud's attempt backfired, big-time. Includes video of the exchange. Mrs. McC: Cloud's questions are a good barometer of how right-wing media have so imbued even members of Congress, who should be capable of grasping an existential crisis occurring on their watch, that -- like Trump -- they have no idea of what's going on.
~~~ Noah Higgins-Dunn & Berkeley Lovelace of CNBC: "... Donald Trump has summoned top U.S. health officials to an emergency meeting at the White House Wednesday morning, cutting a congressional hearing on Capitol Hill short, said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee. 'This morning we were informed that President Trump and Vice President Pence have called our witnesses to an emergency meeting at the White House. We don't know the details, just that it's extremely urgent,' Maloney, D-NY, said before opening a hearing on the nation's preparedness and response to the coronavirus outbreak that has swept across the nation." Mrs. McC: That's one way to muzzle top government health experts. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Update. AND Here's the CYA Move. Aram Roston & Melissa Taylor of Reuters: "The White House has ordered federal health officials to treat top-level coronavirus meetings as classified, an unusual step that has restricted information and hampered the U.S. government's response to the contagion, according to four Trump administration officials." Mrs. McC: So we'll never know if Wednesday's meeting had a purpose other than to shorten the Congressional hearing. The officials said that dozens of classified discussions about such topics as the scope of infections, quarantines and travel restrictions have been held since mid-January in a high-security meeting room at the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), a key player in the fight against the coronavirus. Staffers without security clearances, including government experts, were excluded from the interagency meetings, which included video conference calls, the sources said. 'We had some very critical people who did not have security clearances who could not go,' one official said. 'These should not be classified meetings. It was unnecessary.'" (Also linked yesterday.)
Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha
Jeremy Peters & Michael Grynbaum of the New York Times: "Sean Hannity used his syndicated talk-radio program on Wednesday to share a prediction he had found on Twitter about what is really happening with the coronavirus: It's a' fraud' by the deep state to spread panic in the populace, manipulate the economy and suppress dissent. 'May be true,' Mr. Hannity declared to millions of listeners around the country. As the coronavirus spreads around the globe, denial and disinformation about the risks are proliferating on media outlets popular with conservatives. 'This coronavirus?' Rush Limbaugh asked skeptically during his Wednesday program, suggesting it was all a plot hatched by the Chinese. 'Nothing like wiping out the entire U.S. economy with a biothreat from China, is there?' he said. The Fox Business anchor Trish Regan told viewers on Monday that the worry over coronavirus 'is yet another attempt to impeach the president.'" ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: I was wondering what "expert" Hannity found to assert coronavirus was a deep-state fraud. Well, as the "expert" describes himself on his Twitter account, his name is Shiva Ayyadurai, and part of his "name" is "MIT Ph.D. Inventor of Email." It turns out Ayyandurai does have several degrees from MIT, including a Ph.D. But you probably won't be surprised to learn he did not "invent email." Plus, I always look forward to meeting people who introduce themselves by boasting about their real & invented accomplishments from several decades past.
Margaret Sullivan of the Washington Post: "... now the mind-meld of Fox News and Trump is potentially lethal as Trump plays down the seriousness of the coronavirus and, hearing nothing but applause from his favorite information source for doing so, sees little reason to change. There's one person who could transform all that in an instant: Fox founder Rupert Murdoch, the Australian-born media mogul who, at 89, still exerts his influence on the leading cable network -- and thus on the president himself.... Imagine if Murdoch ordered the network to end its habit of praising him as if he were the Dear Leader of an authoritarian regime and to instead use its influence to drive home the seriousness of the moment."
Presidential Race
Julia Manchester & Morgan Chalfant of the Hill: "The coronavirus outbreak is hitting the presidential campaigns hard, forcing the cancelation of rallies and campaign events, and forcing a Sunday debate between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders to play out before a nearly empty arena. The outbreak is canceling sporting events, closing schools and sending workers home, and it may also pose a challenge to the signature rallies of President Trump, who so far has insisted he will move forward with campaign appearances as he seeks to project confidence in his administration's handling of the virus.... [BUT] On Wednesday, the White House announced that Trump would cancel events scheduled for this weekend in Colorado and Nevada 'out of an abundance of caution' due to the coronavirus outbreak. Trump was expected to attend fundraisers and speak at the Republican Jewish Coalition conference on the trip." AND ~~~
~~~ Matthew Choi of Politico: "... Donald Trump late Wednesday canceled campaign events in Colorado, Nevada and Wisconsin as coronavirus infections spread across the country. 'Out of an abundance of caution from the Coronavirus outbreak, the President has decided to cancel his upcoming events in Colorado and Nevada,' White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement. Tim Murtaugh, director of communications for the Trump reelection campaign, later tweeted that Trump would also not make it to a Catholics for Trump event on March 19 in Milwaukee. Murtaugh cited an 'abundance of caution because of the coronavirus outbreak,' and said that it would be rescheduled."
(If the video doesn't start at 6:54 min. in for you, start it there):
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: This is how you accept your own defeat but not the defeat of your platform.
~~~ Sydney Ember, et al., of the New York Times: "Senator Bernie Sanders said on Wednesday that he was continuing his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination despite suffering big primary losses this week, and that he planned to attend the scheduled debate on Sunday against former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. Mr. Sanders, appearing at an afternoon news conference here, said he was not quitting the race and wanted to debate Mr. Biden, who handily defeated Mr. Sanders in four states on Tuesday." Politico's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Jordain Carney of the Hill: "Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) cancelled a vote scheduled for Wednesday afternoon on a subpoena stemming from his months-long probe into Hunter Biden and Burisma Holdings. 'Out of an abundance of caution, and to allow time for you to receive additional briefings, I will postpone a vote to subpoena records and an appearance from former Blue Star Strategies consultant Andrii Telizhenko about his work for the lobbying firm,' Johnson said in a note to committee members...." (Also linked yesterday.)
Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court on Wednesday said the Trump administration may continue its 'Remain in Mexico' policy for asylum seekers while lower-court challenges continue, after the federal government warned that tens of thousands of immigrants amassed at the southern border could overwhelm the immigration system. The justices reversed a decision of a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit that had ordered the policy be suspended Thursday along parts of the border. As is usual in emergency rulings, the court's unsigned, one-paragraph order did not provide the majority's reasoning. Only Justice Sonia Sotomayor noted her dissent."
Chris Francescani & Aaron Katersky of ABC News: "Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years on sex crime convictions in New York on Wednesday. That sentence includes 20 years for criminal sexual assault in the first degree, which stems from an accusation from former "Project Runway" production assistant Mimi Haley, and three years for rape in the third degree, which stems from an accusation from Jessica Mann, who is now being named by ABC News as she told the district attorney's office after a verdict was reached she does not object to being named publicly. The sentences are set to run consecutively." (Also linked yesterday.) The Washington Post's story is here.
@Hattie: To write in the Comments section, "Trump tested positive for Covfefe-19," you have to type "<b>Trump</b> tested positive for <i>Covfefe-19</i>." This is true no matter what device you're using.
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