Trump embraces Big Brother again

With coronavirus now deemed a pandemic by WHO, Donald Trump is hiding certain pertinent info on the disease from staff, Americans and the world...

Just when transparency is the most needed, the Oval Office lunatic has decided to classify "top-level coronavirus meetings," where decisions are made and judgments decided that should be known throughout the government structure. It is also information that should be shared with the American public and made available to other world leaders to help contain the virus. Here's the scenario...

"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."

Reuter's reported, "Staffers without security clearances, including government experts, were excluded from the interagency meetings." An official commented...

“We had some very critical people who did not have security clearances who could not go. These should not be classified meetings. It was unnecessary.”

 Hiding "the scope of infections" from those charged with maintaining control of coronavirus seems unconscionable in light of Donald Trump's completely inept response to the situation from the beginning, just adding more roadblocks to bringing it under control in the United States. According to CNBC it was...

"the National Security Council (NSC), which advises the president on security issues, ordered the classification. “This came directly from the White House.”

Only the "proles" can defeat Donald Trump in November...

By putting a lid on specific information, it could delay response to the crisis. It also illustrates to what lengths Donald Trump will go to protect his favorability rating leading into November. And then an NSC spokesman confused the issue by defending the administration's move but with a mixed reply on...

"transparency across federal agencies and noted that meetings of the administration’s task force on the coronavirus all are unclassified. It was not immediately clear which meetings he was referring to."

Here's CNBC's opinion of the Trump administration on coronavirus transparency...

"Critics have hammered the Trump administration for what they see as a delayed response to coronavirus outbreaks and a lack of transparency, including sidelining experts and providing misleading or incomplete information to the public. State and local officials also have complained of being kept in the dark about essential federal response information."

 

Common Dreams added...

Gregg Gonsalves, a Yale epidemiologist who has been publicly critical of Trump's response to the coronavirus outbreak, tweeted Wednesday that Trump's order to classify coronavirus meetings shows the president is "trying to cover his tracks" as he continues to face backlash over his handling of the outbreak.

 "Yes, Donald Trump has botched the response to coronavirus pandemic," said Gonsalves. "But classifying deliberations makes it harder for health experts in government without security clearances to be in key meetings."

"This is unprecedented, unnecessary, and damages our ability to respond to the pandemic," Gonsalves added.

In George Orwell's 1984, in the beginning, the government would pick and choose what information it wanted the Proles to know. Then it swooped down and they were surrounded by a world of complete disinformation, controlling everything they were to know. 

CORONAVIRUS WEEKLY UPDATE

Here's your COVID-19 news in brief...

"Coronavirus pandemic 'far from over' in Asia, WHO warns"...

"The Covid-19 pandemic is “far from over” in Asia, the World Health Organization has warned, as the number of coronavirus deaths in the US surpassed those in China for the first time."

"Trump accused of ‘fanatic cruelty’ after refusing to reopen Affordable Care Act enrollment to help uninsured during pandemic." This, as millions of people across the United States lose their jobs and insurance.

Trump won't reopen Obamacare...

"Media outlets pulling reporters from Trump press conferences because they’re a waste of time and a health risk: report..."

"According to a report from the Washington Post, major media outlets are choosing to take a pass on attending Donald Trump’s daily press conferences because they have proven to be news-free and there is no sense exposing their reporters to the possibility of getting sick."

"New Jersey parents charged with child endangerment for holding party with around 50 guests..."

Police had to break up party of "40 and 50 people, including their children, who were outside their home Sunday despite a state ban on such gatherings, authorities said."

"SUPPORT FOR MEDICARE FOR ALL IN U.S. SURGES AMID CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC, NEW POLL SHOWS." Hello, Bernie!

What alcoholics are doing in isolation...

"With Meetings Banned, Millions Struggle to Stay Sober On Their Own." Alcoholics must look elsewhere for help. READ THIS ARTICLE!

"Here's a look at what states are exempting religious gatherings from stay at home orders." Placing religion before people's lives. Freedom of religion does not include emergencies like this. Pray at home!

The religious who refuse to self-isolate...

"Trump’s tribe of wacko supporters have spiraled out of control — and now they’re a major threat to public health and safety." This just proves how many people in this country are fruitcake crackpots. Put 'em in concentration camps so they can kill each other.

"Experts warn as many as 1 in 3 coronavirus test results may be incorrectly negative." People are getting false negatives": "it means that people who've been reassured they are not contagious are likely going forth and spreading the disease to others." Just great, thanks again to Donald Trump.

"Secret Service places $45,000 ’emergency order’ for golf carts in town with Trump property during pandemic." This clearly points out where the White House maniac's priorities are.

Trump needs golf carts while people die...

"When stupid people think they’re smart, they do maximum damage. That’s where we are with Trump and this pandemic." The best description I have ever heard of Donald Trump.

"‘Deadly ignorance’: Georgia GOP governor slammed for falsely claiming ‘we didn’t know’ asymptomatic people can transmit coronavirus." Why are we surprised? He's a Republican.

"The American South has resisted social distancing measures — and we’ll all pay the price." Being from the South, I know they can be slow, but this time it's unacceptable.

"Maddow reports Florida governor is letting ‘coronavirus-denialist megachurch guy’ hold huge services." What do you expect? Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is a Republican.

"Coronavirus job losses likely cost 3.5 million people their health insurance too." At the same time, The Oval Office lunatic closes down new Obamacare signups. Pathetic!

The status of health insurance...

"The looming collapse of private health insurance."...

Insurance tied to a person's employment has taken a huge hit with the millions of layoffs. The system is in grave danger of collapsing altogether, if Congress doesn't step in to help. Yeah...sure. 

 "Experts warn of mental health fallout from mass US unemployment."...

With the "catastrophic rise in unemployment following the forced shutdown of businesses across the country to stop the spread of Covid-19 – and experts are warning it could trigger a severe mental health crisis." 

Donald Trump in denial over COVID-19 one month ago...

America has no federal response to this crisis."...

"In times of crisis — from wars to natural disasters to recessions — Americans have looked to the federal government to step up and lead the national effort to confront the challenge.

"In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, our federal government, led by Donald Trump, has essentially abdicated its traditional role of spearheading a coordinated response."

"Trump’s biggest 2020 pitch disintegrates." I read this as an assurance that no matter what Democrat runs against him in November, he or she will defeat T-rump.

"No, the coronavirus is not an ‘equalizer--Black people are being infected and dying at higher rates." This is due primarily to shelter-in-place orders and other painful government restrictions, including segregation and mass incarceration for black people.

You're on Progressive Street...Where Liberals Walk...

The White House maniac hasn't a clue on coronavirus...

UPDATE

Coronavirus isn't yet out of hand in the U.S.; although it is spreading throughout the country. "As of March 05, 2020 at 18:17 GMT, there have been 164 confirmed cases and 11 deaths due to coronavirus COVID-19 in the United States." Here's the lineup by state:

• 27 in Washington State (including 9 deaths and 1 recovered)
• 24 in California (including 2 recovered)
• 4 in Illinois (including 2 recovered)
• 3 in Florida
• 3 in Oregon
• 2 in Arizona (including 1 recovered)
• 2 in Georgia
• 2 in Massachusetts (including 1 recovered)
• 2 in New York
• 2 in Rhode Island
• 2 in New Hampshire
• 1 in North Carolina
• 1 in Texas
• 1 in Wisconsin (including 1 recovered)

And all this while Donald Trump tries to "minimize" the problem, just to protect the stock market and his chances to win in November. Here's the scenario...

“Trump’s playing down of the California patient at his news conference underscores the administration’s slapdash and often misleading attempts to contain not just the virus, but also potential political damage from the outbreak — which has tanked financial markets, slowed global commerce and killed some 3,000 people worldwide, including the first U.S. death, announced Saturday,” the Washington Post reports.

So much for a president who is looking out for the people...READ MORE...

Mike Pence defends Trump, Jr. comment, "Democrats hope coronavirus 'kills millions of people' in the US because they want to bring his father down." 

And this is what number two dumb had to say, "he was merely 'pushing back' at politicisation of the viral outbreak by Trump opponents." Considering number two Trump can't help it since he undoubtedly inherited the double-digit IQ from his father, what is Pence's excuse? Now consider, it is this moron that T-rump has put in charge of the coronavirus program. If it wasn't for the few level heads sparsely interspersed withing this administration, the U. S. would be doomed.

The look of, 'What the f*#+ do we do?'

This dimwit even added, “It’s time for the other side to turn down the volume.” This is the guy who wants to "pray" away the virus rather than work on how to protect the citizens of this country. The people of Indiana who elected this numbnuts governor are no doubt supporters of the Oval Office lunatic, and look how he screwed up an HIV outbreak there. This is indeed the biggest crisis Donald Trump has faced yet, and so far he is a total failure...READ MORE...

CNN asks how bad will the coronavirus get. This following their headline for the article: "Trump meets a new enemy." The combination of the two is more than frightening, with the implication that Donald Trump is out of his league, again, when it comes to dealing with another crisis, which will impact his favorability rating. The author's meaning, of course, applies to...

"the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus around the world, the resulting stock market plunge and the concern about whether America's political leaders are up to the challenge."

 

Sort of like what I said but with a different twist. There will be an outbreak says Dr. Nancy Messonnier, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. and we have already experienced that, as you can see from the illustration, above. What is worse is Dr. Leana Wen, Baltimore's former health commissioner comments...

"the disease will test our government's response and resiliency. How we weather the outbreak also hinges on our trust that the government has our best intentions at heart. We don't yet know if the trajectory of COVID-19 will be mild, moderate, or severe" but it makes sense to prepare for the worst case."

The key here is can we, 'trust that the government has our best intentions at heart?' So far, we haven't been able to count on anything Donald Trump says or does. And he continues to push forward with false facts and completely inaccurate information every time he opens his mouth. The markets reacted with, "the Dow plunging 3,583 points, making it by percentage terms the worst week since October, 2008. Trump's worst nightmare...READ MORE...

Gloomy outlook as public-health experts say Coronavirus may never disappear. Their evaluation is...

"there are only three possible endings to this story: The outbreak could be controlled via public-health interventions and disappear (as SARS did), a vaccine could be developed, or the coronavirus could become a permanent part of the repertoire of human viruses like the seasonal flu."

They contend, "That third option is the most likely, the new virus probably won't ever truly disappear." So what is the Oval Office lunatic's latest move? He blames it on former President Barack Obama, as you can see in the video here. No consideration for the fact that Trump appointed Mike Pence has screwed up testing from the beginning so we don't actually know how many cases are really in the U.S.

The outbreak never ends say expert...

Here's Amesh Adalja, an infectious-disease expert at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security who said...

"I think it is a pandemic; the official declaration is not important to me. We're seeing efficient, community-wide spread in multiple countries."

Here is another alarming effect...

"According to researchers at the World Health Organization (WHO), an average person with the new coronavirus passes it to 1.4 to 2.5 other people."

In closing, here is the latest from the CDC on the spread of COVID-19.
READ MORE...

You could get severely ill if you're in 15% to 20% of coronavirus cases

Those figures mean that at this time there are a minimum of 143 people in the U.S. with severe cases of the coronavirus...

My calculations are based on at least 950 known U.S. cases today, which could be higher tomorrow. Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, wants everyone over 60 or with underlying health conditions to stock up on what you need and stay home until there is some sense of control. Unfortunately, control may never be realized, considering who is in charge of the U.S. coronavirus epidemic.

The head guy, Donald Trump hasn't a clue of what is going on so he put his second in command, Mike Pence, in charge, who royally screwed up an HIV uprising in Indiana when he was governor. And to top it all off, Alex Azar, Health and Human Services Secretary just said he has no idea how many people in the U.S. have been tested for coronavirus. So, in light of this familiar blend of incompetence, the Trump administration just decides to keep the misinformation coming.

Here is Dr. Messonnier's take...

“This virus is capable of spreading easily and sustainably from person to person ... and there’s essentially no immunity against this virus in the population.”

“It’s fair to say that, as the trajectory of the outbreak continues, many people in the United States will at some point in time, either this year or next, be exposed to this virus and there’s a good chance many will become sick.”

Here's the update for coronavirus from Dr. Messonnier...

And here is a frightening fact from CNBC...

"Of the 70,000 cases WHO scientists looked at, only about 2% were in people younger than 19. The odds of developing COVID-19 increase with age, starting at age 60. It’s especially lethal for people over 80."

There are approximately 69 million folks today age 60 and over, and if you remove even a portion of that number from the day-to-day activities they are capable of and used to performing, the economy could take a dive. The eighty-plus crowd is much smaller, but more likely to heed the advice to stay at home in larger numbers due to the potential dire consequences. Think about it, some 80+ have no one to shop for them, and they have to go to the doctor.

Rachel Maddow prompts us on Donald Trump's pathetic incoherence on the coronavirus epidemic...

I don't honestly believe the Trump administration could have prevented the coronavirus from entering the United States, nor probably anyone else for that matter. But what has been clear from the beginning is the incompetence of Donald Trump and his minions. Here's the scenario from The Washington Post...

The coronavirus had already begun to spiral out of control around the world when Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, during routine Senate testimony, made a surprising claim.

“As of today, I can announce that the CDC has begun working with health departments in five cities to use its flu surveillance network to begin testing individuals with flu-like symptoms for the Chinese coronavirus,” Azar said. “This effort will help see whether there is broader spread than we have been able to detect so far.”

Chuck Schumer discusses Donald Trump's coronavirus incompetence...

The Post adds: "But there were two major problems: The cities weren’t ready, and the tests didn’t work." And so the comical parade of Trump administration bunglers has marched forward since then and here is a key fact to confirm its ineptness: there have been only 1,900 tests for coronavirus in the United States compared to 140,000 in So. Korea. And now how the United States did it...

"Azar’s bungled announcement before the Senate Finance Committee on Feb. 13 was just one of many preventable missteps and blunders in the federal government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis — the embodiment of an administration that, for weeks, repeatedly squandered opportunities to manage and prepare for a global epidemic that has killed thousands worldwide and at least 19 (31 as of March 10) so far in the United States."

And there's more according to Dr. Messonnier...

"People with diabetes, heart disease, lung disease and other serious underlying conditions are more likely to develop 'serious outcomes, including death.'”

So, not only do we have a healthcare dilemma caused by the White House maniac, but we also have to worry about an economy that could spiral down soon, thanks to the incompetence of this same idiot. Never, in my lifetime, have we been between these most extreme rocks and hard places. Hello November.

TRUMP LATEST: Trump's COVID-19 results miserable compared to Xo in China

Nation's quote:  "China under Xi has suppressed the latest coronavirus at the human cost of three lives per million population, the United States under Trump is still struggling to overpower it, having already sacrificed 145 of every million Americans"...

Those are overpowering figures when you consider that Donald Trump is nowhere near getting a handle on coronavirus in this country. And what is even worse is that this idiot will not face up to the fact of how incompetent he is, leading the U.S. into more instability and peril on a daily basis. To emphasize the delay, here's a timeline...

"George Gao, director of the Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC), spoke with his American counterpart, Robert Redfield, on January 3, alerting him to the arrival of an as-yet-unidentified, pneumonia-inducing virus in the city of Wuhan (news of which the Chinese government would for crucial days withhold domestically). Redfield then briefed Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar on that conversation."

In China, Wuhan was identified as the source of the outbreak and...

"On January 3, the NHC centralized all testing related to the mysterious disease and, two days later, in conjunction with experts in infectious diseases caused by pathogens that jump from animals to humans, completed the sequencing of the genome of the virus."

Trump lies, lies, lies on COVID-19...PATHETIC!... 

This information was made available worldwide on January 7, and on January 14, WHO made a somewhat vague announcement to the world on this threat. China's national health Commission confirmed human to human transmission on January 19, with the U.S. moving slowly, mostly observing. On January 24, a complete lockdown of Wuhan was ordered of 760 million people. President Xi worked with WHO, keeping them posted regularly on what he was doing.

In the meantime, Donald Trump was just beginning to drag his feet, setting up a task force...

"led by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to monitor, contain, and mitigate the spread of the coronavirus while also keeping Americans informed on the matter."

 Centers for Disease Control Prevention’s Robert Redfield had also been at work preparing for the disease in the U.S. when the...

"World Health Organization declared the outbreak a “global health emergency.” On February 11, it labeled the disease caused by the latest coronavirus, which can culminate in death-inducing pneumonia, Covid-19."

Trump disorientation on coronavirus testing...

It was right at this time that the Oval Office lunatic tweeted his first reaction to dangers of COVID-19 when the first lab-confirmed coronavirus case was reported in Olympia, Washington...

“It’s one person coming in from China and we have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.”

It wasn't "just fine" and as the threat continued to grow, T-rump called it a hoax, then blamed the whole thing on the Democrats, As it spread around the world, Trump placed Mike Pence in charge of response to the virus, and with his incompetence noted, put his moron son in law in charge, where, since then the handling of everything has deteriorated. While the rest of the world gears up for aggressive testing, Trump promises 2% of the U.S. population, grossly lacking.

With the threat of a full-blown pandemic, "all Trump did was ban the arrival of non-US citizens who had recently traveled to China. From then on, he repeatedly touted this as evidence that he had acted early." In the face of clear data this could turn into a worldwide pandemic from his own people, Trump tweeted...

“The coronavirus is very much under control in the USA,”

And yet more disinformation from Donald Trump COVID-19 under control...

He began tweeting that the U.S. would soon have a coronavirus vaccine, which was altogether false and, even today, it is thought to be at least a year before a safe vaccine can be ready for market. It was soon after around mid-March when the White House maniac finally came to his senses, and at about this time Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, came on the scene.

Since then it has been a tumultuous battle between the counterfeit doctor and scientist sitting in the White House and the expert from the CDC, who tries his best to balance the stupidity of Donald Trump with the truth from his office. The big question is...who will win the war, not just the battle?

My thanks to TheNation for this excellent article, which I recommend you read and support the publication.

Jared Kushner: "You’re not qualified to do anything, said Seth Meyers"

The above is the statement of Late Night host Seth Meyers who apparently echoes the feelings of most of the country...

Seth Meyers on Jared Kushner...

The incompetency of Jared Kushner was picked up by most of the late night shows, who roasted Donald Trump's son-in law like the turkey he is. Myers also said to Kushner...

"You’re a nepotism case, and you only got the White House job because you married into the family, and because the security guards believed your fake ID.’

This was Seth Meyers trademark 'Closer Look" where he revealed...

the dire shortage of ventilators and the negligent federal response, advised by Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to address the problem. "We have a situation where states are begging for life-saving ventilators and the Trump team is in disarray,” Meyers explained.

Trio of ignorance

 Here's a headline that should bring Trump/Kushner supporters to their knees: "Trump’s ignorant son-in-law is running the coronavirus response. That’s unacceptable." This is the guy who has your life in his hands being in charge of controlling an out of control disease, and supposing to keep you safe, but isn't. This is more from WP...

"Why is Kushner, as utterly ignorant and unqualified for this task as he is for all the other ones he has been assigned, even remotely involved with the government’s effort to deal with one of the most profound challenges the United States has ever faced?"

 A question that can only be answered by the idiot who named Kushner to the post, nepotism's greatest practitioner, Donald Trump. WP adds...

"Was it not enough that he was told to solve the opioid crisis and achieve Middle East peace, inevitably failing at both? Is he the person whose help we need right now?"

Jared Kushner just before taking over COVID-19 program...

RawStory has a commentary piece that lists the "4 most stunning revelations about Jared Kushner’s ever-growing role in Trump’s coronavirus response." All four are interesting but here is the most "stunning"...

"Kushner reportedly told Trump that Andrew Cuomo was exaggerating the need for ventilations in New York State — whereas Anthony Fauci agrees with Cuomo"

Here is the current status of the state's and the city's COVID-19 situation reported by New York magazine...

"As of midday Sunday, there have been more than 122,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus discovered in New York, including more than 67,500 in New York City. At least 4,159 people with COVID-19 have died in the state, which has the largest number — around 40 percent — of confirmed cases in the U.S."

One of the first things Kushner said after being appointed to head up Trump's coronavirus team was: “What a lot of the voters are seeing now is that when you elect somebody ... think about who will be a competent manager during the time of crisis.” Obviously this reeks of irony, prompting this from WP...

"Yes, President Trump’s voters, along with those who elected the similarly ignorant and slothful Republican governors in Florida and Georgia who failed to act promptly to stem the coronavirus, should remember that next time. Better to elect someone like California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) or Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) rather than someone continually pandering to Trump, resisting readily available scientific advice and attacking the media."

Don't talk like that about my idiot son-in-law...

 

 But, here's the kicker, the Health & Human Services (HHS) had to change its website to agree with a false statement Kushner said. Here's his statement...

“And the notion of the federal stockpile was it’s supposed to be our stockpile,” Kushner said. “It’s not supposed to be states’ stockpiles that they then use.”

The HHS website in fact said...

“Strategic National Stockpile is the nation’s largest supply of life-saving pharmaceuticals and medical supplies for use in a public health emergency severe enough to cause local supplies to run out.” It continued to say, "When state, local, tribal, and territorial responders request federal assistance to support their response efforts, the stockpile ensures that the right medicines and supplies get to those who need them most during an emergency.”

 And that, folks, is the guy appointed to get us through the coronavirus pandemic. Behind whom is the idiot elected to keep this county safe, no matter what, none other than Donald Trump who appointed the other moron. Not sure which is worse, the Trump family or the COVID-19 pandemic.

More on this imbecile coming!

You're on Progressive Street...Where liberals Walk...

Trump Today collection of coronavirus news

It's time again to review coronavirus headline stories you need to know about...catch up with the following...

HEADLINE: "REVEALED: White House pushed FEMA to give its biggest coronavirus contract to a company that never had to bid."   READ MORE...


HEADLINE: "Food goes to waste amid coronavirus crisis."   READ MORE...


HEADLINE: "Poultry Worker’s Death Highlights Spread of Coronavirus in Meat Plants."   READ MORE...

HEADLINE: "He Could Have Seen What Was Coming: Behind Trump’s Failure on the Virus."   READ MORE...

HEADLINE: "Trump reportedly asked Dr. Anthony Fauci whether it was possible to allow the coronavirus to 'wash over' the US."   READ MORE...


HEADLNE: "Fauci admits earlier Covid-19 mitigation efforts would have saved more American lives."   READ MORE...



HEADLINE: "‘It is what it is’: Fauci carefully admits Trump ‘could have saved lives’ if he took the virus seriously."   READ MORE...





HEADLINE: "What Do Countries With The Best Coronavirus Responses Have In Common? Women Leaders."   READ MORE...



HEADLINE: "Furious Nebraskans blame GOP governor for surge in COVID-19 cases after he refused to issue stay at home order." 
READ MORE...

HEADLINE: "All the cruise ships that have had confirmed cases of COVID-19 onboard." 
READ MORE...


HEADLINE: "Florida nursing homes a coronavirus ‘nightmare’: Gov. Ron DeSantis deploys National Guard."   READ MORE...

HEADLINE: "Rick Wilson: Trump’s press conference meltdown was a ‘manic ragefest by America’s Worst President.’"   READ MORE...

HEADLINE: "Trump obliterated nursing home safety regulations in 2017 — COVID is showing why they’re desperately needed: Ex-healthcare official."  READ MORE...

HEADLINE: "'God help us’: Americans horrified after Trump names Jared and Ivanka to his ‘Council to Re-open America.'"   READ MORE...

HEADLINE: "Trump’s ‘delusional’ supporters will never admit they were wrong — even in the face of national catastrophe."   READ MORE...

That completes the latest roundup of COVID-19 news...

Trump's self appraisal gets support from his bootlickers

Why coronavirus will go out of control in the United States...

Sean Hannity, one of Fox News' biggest sources of misinformation

The Russians are coming - The Russians are coming...to spread coronavirus propaganda like...

"conspiracy theories — suggesting, for example, that the coronavirus had been created by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation or was the result of a bioweapon."

Not so far-fetched when you consider they helped spread hoaxes in 2016 that the Democrats wanted to "destroy T-rump's presidency." Now Putin's gang is fast at work again, this time on the coronavirus to lay the blame anywhere but at Donald Trump's feet, where it belongs. If you can believe anything from Trump's Cabinet...

"A top State Department official said Thursday that Russia is behind 'swarms of online, false personas' that sought to spread misinformation about coronavirus on social-media sites, stressing the 'entire ecosystem of Russian disinformation is at play.'" 

Dumbo Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton is at it again when he went on TV to advance the theory of Chinese bioweapon conspiracy, not backing down when questioned over his remark. Here's the real skinny...

Richard Ebright, a professor of chemical biology at Rutgers University, told the Washington Post, “There’s absolutely nothing in the genome sequence of this virus that indicates the virus was engineered. The possibility this was a deliberately released bioweapon can be firmly excluded.”

The master moron of misinformation speaks on coronavirus...

So back to ground zero where Trump, Pence and the whole lot of misfits and incompetents charge ahead with more cover-up propaganda, rather than pay attention to the crisis at hand. And, that's not good since Fox News' Maria Bartiromo predicts there will be ‘hundreds of thousands’ of US coronavirus cases,' as I reported in yesterday's post. But Salon's Digby Parton cautions...

"If these rumors and lies were started by the Russian government it just proves, once again, that they know their targets. But the truth is that Americans don’t really need their help. The right-wing media is doing a great job of misleading half the country all by themselves."

And Maria Bartiromo is one of the few Fox staff who can be trusted.

Rush Limbaugh

It is beyond frightening that an unbridled GOP can get away with this in modern day America. But this is what it has come down to today and if the American public decides to reelect Donald Trump to a second term. Salon reminded us, "Rush Limbaugh insisted that the coronavirus was just a common cold and it was being 'weaponized' to use against the president." With world-class morons like this in our own country, we don't need any enemies.

And then there is another delusion from Fox News dimwits. They have...

"blamed the homeless population for spreading the disease, despite absolutely no evidence that has happened. This fits with their evident programming directive to demean and degrade the homeless population as often as possible, particularly in states that didn’t vote for Donald Trump."

Now this exceeds the unconscionable when these displaced folks are trying their best to just survive in some cases. And this is the first time I have heard this one, Digby Parton contends that Donald Trump has a "fake reputation," throwing the term back in the face of the blockhead that originated it with "fake news." But here's an unbelievable comment that Trump made to the king of misinformation, Fox News Sean Hannity...

"We have thousands or hundreds of thousands of people that get better, just by, you know, sitting around and even going to work, some of them go to work, but they get better."

Many of the mild cases have experienced some improvement and will continue to do so. But another implication they should go to work is asinine and potentially dangerous for those with more serious conditions. There have been 3,570 coronavirus deaths worldwide, 19 in the U.S. There are a number of factors that affect the immunity to this virus and only the experienced medical community should be giving advice, not some dufus sitting in the Oval Office.
READ MORE...

Trump touted coronavirus vaccine derivative, chloroquine, kills Arizona man

Strong words of experience from someone who has been there: "Listen to doctors, not Donald Trump"...

Dr. Fauci has urged caution on chloroquine

The above from the wife of the Arizona man who died after taking chloroquine, when hearing Donald Trump pushing it in press conferences and also by his minions, that it could cure coronavirus and was safe to take. The BBC says...

"The drug has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis but is unproven for use against the novel coronavirus."

In these press conference the wife mentions, Trump went off on his usual tirades of telling the American public he was there to save lives and here's the drug to do it, chloroquine, which has been approved to fight malaria, but is also an ingredient used in cleaning fish tanks, thus, an obvious toxicity. The Arizona couple, in their sixties, took the Oval Office lunatic's advice, the wife commenting...

"We saw his press conference. It was on a lot, actually," she said. "Trump kept saying it was basically pretty much a cure."

 "We were afraid of getting sick," she told NBC.

Reporter talks to dead husband's wife...

She is still in intensive care and her husband is dead. Here is what the wife advises...

"The wife of an Arizona man who died after ingesting chloroquine phosphate to protect himself from the novel coronavirus urged the public on Monday not to "believe anything that the president says" and rely on doctors instead."

But here's the kicker...

"The couple had used chloroquine previously as a treatment for their koi fish and still had some remaining in their home. This additive is formulated differently than the drug used to treat malaria."

And there you have it. They hear the White House maniac recommend the drug, chloroquine, recognize the name from the fact they have it as a treatment for their koi fish, and to my knowledge Trump did not add a disclaimer in pushing the drug saying it was also used to clean fish tanks. I must say, this couple should have used more common sense in self-medicating this drug, but Arizonans are dire-hard Trump fans and this idiot does have the authority of the White House.

It goes in here, not in your mouth

So what we have is tragedy in the desert that could easily have been prevented if Donald Trump had just kept his mouth shut and let the experts make the statements that so severely affect people's lives. As a matter of fact, Dr. Andrew Fauci, who serves as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), nixed T-rump's touting of the three drugs, including chloroquine saying the results were so far anecdotal, needed more testing for coronavirus. But...

"The president has repeatedly touted chloroquine as a "very powerful" treatment against the coronavirus and falsely claimed it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration."

And finally, the Arizona wife pleads...

"The president has repeatedly touted chloroquine as a 'very powerful' treatment against the coronavirus and falsely claimed it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration."

It is impossible to understand how Donald Trump can live with what he has done.

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Donald Trump is completely obsessed with Barack Obama

David Smith of the Guardian says Donald Trump is being eaten alive inside by his manic compulsions with Barack Obama.

Barack Obama looked like a great president as he entered the White House in 2009, with the kind of enthusiasm, energy and capacity to get things done as John F. Kennedy. Kennedy was struck down by a bullet, Obama with a bullet of a different name, Moscow Mitch McConnell. President Obama had the overwhelming support of the American people as the racist McConnell began to spread his game plan of a one-term presidency.

That didn't work as Obama won with another landslide against Mitt Romney. But, as was the case in his first term, he was dogged by Moscow Mitch, who convinced his Republican colleagues to support him in keeping anything Obama from happening, actually anything Democrats. With the Dems, that hasn't changed. The Oval Office has changed and it is the startling difference between two men, Barack Obama and Donald Trump, that is the subject of this post.

Donald Trump's obsession with Barack Obama...

David Smith quotes journalist, Jon Karl, as he observed the then president and the one coming into office. He thought of Trump as actually "humbled," out of sorts, awed by the situation, and definitely not in control of the room. Obama was turning over the torch in the classy way he had conducted his presidency, to his predecessor, who “seemed a little dazed” and “a little freaked out.” These would be two of the earliest signs of Donald Trump's incompetency.

Then Smith comments...

"But what became clear in the next three and a half years is that Obama remains something of an obsession for Trump; the subject of a political and personal inferiority complex."

Here, the why...

"Observers point to a mix of anti-intellectualism, racism, vengeance and primitive envy over everything from Obama’s Nobel peace prize to the scale of his inauguration crowd and social media following."

Barack Obama criticizes Donald Trump's handling of coronavirus pandemic...

Obama criticizes Trump's handling of coronavirus...

CNN Politics says Trump has been backed into the corner on his incompetence with the COVID-19 pandemic, so he simply reverts to his favorite subject, Barack Obama...

"With the death count from the coronavirus rising and its economic fallout deepening, President Donald Trump is trying to fire up his base and divert the national conversation by promoting a baseless conspiracy that casts his predecessor, Barack Obama, as the architect of a plot to subvert his presidency."

And you can always depend on Jennifer Rubin, conservative columnist for the Washington Post, to zero in on Donald Trump's real intentions...

"It makes zero sense, you would think, for President Trump to attack his predecessor, since President Barack Obama is the most popular politician around (next to his wife) — someone who instills in Democrats a feeling of solidarity, of nostalgia for decent leadership and of hope. Even those critical of Obama’s presidency regard that era as akin to a Golden Age compared with the Trump calamity that brought us the Great Depression 2.0."

Donald Trump's absurd Obamagate conspiracy theory...

There's always a 'yeah, but'...

"And yet over the past week or so, Trump has rekindled “Obamagate,” a made-up scandal that has become a bumper sticker for Obama-haters. Trump’s claims are so thoroughly baseless and hopelessly convoluted that Trump cannot even explain it."

She also agrees with Jake Tapper's assessment...

"President Trump and his team are launching an unprecedented smear campaign against rivals, leveling wild and false allegations against critics in the media and politics, ranging from bizarre conspiracy theories to spreading lies about pedophilia and even murder."

Have we arrived at the pinnacle of Donald Trump's desperation, and are we dangerously close to the edge, or will this latest debacle simply fade away like all the others have because Republicans, plus an uncaring media, give him another free pass? Right now, I have to go with the latter.

LATEST COVID-19 UPDATE: Trump pushing anti-malarial drug for coronavirus - Dr. Fauci cautious

Donald Trump's befuddled and bewildering words are why the American public is so confused over the coronavirus pandemic...

Trump -Fauci

The drug being argued over by Trump and Dr. Fauci is hydroxychloroquine, "a medication used for the prevention and treatment of certain types of malaria, specifically chloroquine-sensitive malaria. Trump apparently wants to move quickly for its use, but top CDC adviser, Fauci, says, hold on, let's make sure it's safe. There are side effects like...

• headache, dizziness, ringing in your ears
• nausea, vomiting, stomach pain
• loss of appetite, weight loss

There's more but what is important is that Dr. Fauci wants to make sure it will work for coronavirus before proceeding with any serious discussions. Not go chasing a remedy that has no potential to help COVID-19. T-rump wants to forge ahead without the necessary science behind the move just to appease those dopes out there looking for a quick fix. Here is some of the conversation...

Trump thinks drug could be "game-changer"...
Fauci says test it first

Trump: “I am a fan of that [drug] and we’ll see what happens. I have seen things that are impressive. We’ll see. We’ll know soon. When you get to safety, this is prescribed for many years for people to combat malaria, which was a big problem.”

Dr. Fauci, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director replied: "he shared the president’s positive outlook, the drug still needs to be tested specifically for coronavirus efficacy — echoing FDA chief Stephen Hahn’s comments the day before."

Dr. Fauci denies malarial drug is ready...

The conversation closed with this statement from "Dr." Trump, confirming just how mentally challenged this idiot is...

“It may work and it may not work. I agree with [Fauci]. It may work or may not. I feel good about it. Just a feeling. I am a smart guy, we’ll see soon enough.”

 A moron couldn't have said it better...READ MORE...

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UPDATE...UPDATE...UPDATE...UPDATE...UPDATE...

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

CNN anchor John King quotes that network's Dr. Sanjay Gupta is "stunned" at Donald Trump's reaction to his top coronavirus adviser Dr. Andrew Fauci. Here's Gupta...

“I’ve never seen anything like it, John,” he said. “That was incredible to see this back-and-forth. First of all, the president said that this drug was approved for coronavirus yesterday, it is not. He said there’s a lot of evidence to show how promising it is, there is a one 20-person study out of France that Dr. Tony Fauci described as ‘anecdotal.’”

Donald Trump does Arizona and Gov. Doug Ducey swoons

Donald Trump was only in Arizona around three hours but was able to turn the state's governor, Doug Ducey, into a replica of himself. Ducey is now a clone of Donald Trump.

The clone is on

Doug Ducey has never been known to be a Rhodes Scholar, but, then, how much mental capacity does it take to sell ice cream in Arizona. However, the Oval Office lunatic just visited Phoenix, touring the Honeywell plant where they manufacture medical face masks for coronavirus. The douchebag did his standard suckup welcoming T-rump, following him around for the exposure, then he promptly did this...

"Arizona ended the work of a team of scientists who predicted that the peak of its outbreak had not yet arrived.

"The experts, from Arizona universities, were making models for the state, and had predicted that the peak could come on May 22 or later.

"But the state's health department stopped their work hours after Republican Gov. Doug Ducey announced some businesses can reopen this week, ABC 15 Arizona and the Arizona Republic reported.

"The state now says it will rely on other sources of information and on federal modelling."

Georgia...on everybody's mind...

Discharged but still vocal...

the modeling team, made up of at least 23 volunteer experts from Arizona State University and the University of Arizona, had predicted in late April that peak of the outbreak in the state hasn't arrived yet — and could come on May 22 or later.

Just another stupid Republican governor that espouses we should let the people of the U.S. just hurry up and die? There are more as dumb or dumber. In early April "eight US governors decided against issuing statewide directives urging their residents to stay at home as the outbreak of the coronavirus escalates and spreads across the country, the last holdouts in the nation." Trump continued to refuse a nationwide closure, citing the Constitution as his reason.

Atlanta Mayor in rebuttal to Governor Kemp...

And "Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms pleads for residents to stay home, despite Governor Brian Kemp lifting shelter-in-place orders and reopening some nonessential businesses." Salon reports the Founding Fathers started this country with "no president, no federal judiciary and essentially no federal government." They subsequently decided to set up a stronger central government, but couldn't have visualized the nightmare that exists today.

Congress has relinquished its power over the years to the White House, in part because the president needs the ability to wage war, among other emergencies like an invasion or, say, a pandemic. It is interesting to note here that Donald Trump's free rein to address the COVID-19 crisis resulted in a colossal failure these Founding Fathers could never have imagined. He has not recovered from the initial ineptness, thus, the country's governors either follow suit or do their own thing.

11 times Donald Trump downplayed the coronavirus...

Salon continues...

"Donald Trump has been blustering about his "power" since he was elected, even fatuously declaring, 'I have an Article II, where I have to the right to do whatever I want as president.' More recently, he argued that he had "total authority" to make states withdraw their stay-at-home orders, before backing off."

Since the coronavirus crept up on our beaches and spread throughout our cities, "Trump has actually been impotent in every important way." Still, he has "been on TV almost every day blathering about what a great job he's doing." What he hasn't done, and by far the most important, is that he has not led the country in a time of dire crisis. On a daily basis Donald Trump comes off as a blundering idiot, which he definitely is.

Again, the "massively powerful tool" called the Defense Production Act is put forward, something he has already used "hundreds of thousands of times" as president. But instead, this is what the White House maniac did, he told state governors, "Respirators, ventilators, all of the equipment — try getting it yourselves." This resulted in...

"bidding wars and cloak-and-dagger black market purchases. He complained mightily that they weren't doing their jobs. But it was he who wasn't doing his."

"Way ahead on testing - Best in the world on testing...yeah, sure - Bullshit...

It is clear why Donald Trump doesn't want a nationally coordinated approach to the surge of COVID-19, more so a federally backed testing program for the virus. It will produce numbers that embarrass him, like the fact we are already averaging close to 2,000 deaths per day from the disease with no hope of improvement in sight. New cases are currently running around 25,000 daily, but a new model from Trump's White House predicts 200,000 per day by June.

This frightening figure is a result of the opening of the economy by T-rump and select governors around the country, and promises to produce a new daily death toll of at least 3,000. Trump's own model predicts that, based on reopening, plus relaxed restrictions on social distancing, it will put the status of the coronavirus pandemic right back to where it was mid-March. Since Trump has failed so miserably at any progress, he figures the relapse won't be that noticeable.

Here's Senator Chuck Schumer's take on the current situation...

“By muzzling science and the truth, it will only prolong this health and economic crisis. The president’s failure to accept the truth, and then his desire to hide it, is one of the chief reasons we are lagging behind so many other countries in beating this scourge.”

The United States looks disgraceful up against other countries of the world. You can check it in the WORLDOMETER report reflecting results from countries. Scroll down to the breakdown by country. It's more than frightening.