The next day, Trump was back to his usual self, ranting incoherently, repeating his few catch phrases, insulting multiple reporters, and making wisecracks about having had sex with models.
On Saturday, Trump said that various governors were demanding unnecessary equipment because "it gives them that extra feeling of satisfaction" and he urged professional athletes to "get back" to playing their sports because "the whole concept of our nation wasn't designed for it. (It's true. The Founding Fathers were adamant that in this new nation baseball players must never be idle in April.)
Why the mainstream media doesn't understand by now that Trump cannot not act like a self-absorbed five-year-old is beyond me; or if they do know it, why they persist in lying to their readers. Trump's gonna Trump, as Digby says:
One might expect the president to understand by now that putting 50,000 people close together in a petrie dish (aka a football stadium) might not be all that smart ... [W]e'll be fighting him every step of the way to stay alive. ... [H]e has to convince the American people that he was a big hero who led the country to victory. I guess we're going to see if his powers of bullshit are strong enough to overcome the pile of dead bodies that will have piled up by then.The United States's response to the coronavirus has been the worst of any country on earth by far. The Washington Post has published a long article looking at how the US came to be so "catastrophically overmatched" in the first 70 days of the crisis. The Post conducted 47 interviews with administration officials, public health experts, intelligence officers, and others involved in fighting the pandemic.
The failure has echoes of the period leading up to 9/11: Warnings were sounded, including at the highest levels of government, but the president was deaf to them until the enemy had already struck.Other Articles:
The Trump administration received its first formal notification of the outbreak of the coronavirus in China on Jan. 3. Within days, U.S. spy agencies were signaling the seriousness of the threat to Trump by including a warning about the coronavirus — the first of many — in the President's Daily Brief.
And yet, it took 70 days from that initial notification for Trump to treat the coronavirus ... as a lethal force that had outflanked America's defenses and was poised to kill tens of thousands of citizens. That more-than-two-month stretch now stands as critical time that was squandered. ...
In recent days, Trump has bristled at reminders that he had once claimed the caseload would soon be "down to zero." ...
"This has been a real blow to the sense that America was competent," said Gregory F. Treverton, a former chairman of the National Intelligence Council, the government's senior-most provider of intelligence analysis.
"It's Not Like We Have a Massive Recession or Worse," Says Trump After 10 Million Lost Their Jobs in Two Weeks
"It's artificial because we turned it off," Trump said of the economic crisis, a distinction that makes no difference to the millions who have lost their jobs and their health insurance.
Common Dreams, April 3, 2020
Under Cover of Pandemic, Trump's NLRB Moves to Make Unionizing "Nearly Impossible for Workers"
"The Trump NLRB takes this moment to publish a rule that will make it harder both for workers to unionize and to keep unions they have. Shameful does not even begin to describe this."
Common Dreams, April 3, 2020
Fox News Stars Now Pretend They Never Said What They Said About the Coronavirus
Democrats and the media are the real downplayers of the coronavirus, claim two of Fox's biggest stars who spent weeks peddling dismissive talking points about the pandemic.
The Daily Beast, April 3, 2020
430,000 People Have Traveled From China to U.S. Since Coronavirus Surfaced
There were 1,300 direct flights to 17 cities before President Trump's travel restrictions. Since then, nearly 40,000 Americans and other authorized travelers have made the trip, some this past week and many with spotty screening.
New York Times, April 4, 2020
When the Invisible Hand Gives You the Finger
Corporate media shrug as elite declare loss of profits worse than loss of lives
Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting, April 1, 2020
Reagan-Era Medicare Changes Leave Us Vulnerable To Covid-19, Experts Say
In 1983, Congress, under Ronald Reagan, changed the reimbursement system for Medicare, transforming hospitals from institutions providing comprehensive care to factories shuffling patients in and out as quickly as possible. The coronavirus pandemic has revealed the high price of these cost-cutting measures.
Who What Why, March 31, 2020
New York City Has Done Almost Nothing To Protect 70,000 People In Its Homeless Shelters From Coronavirus Spread
Approximately 100 people living in city shelters have tested positive for the virus. In other large cities, the number remains in the single digits. New York has done little to protect the approximately 63,000 people living in shelters or the streets, the result of years of poor decisions by Andrew Cuomo, Michael Bloomberg, and Bill de Blasio.
The Intercept, April 1, 2020
Trump Administration Says Millions May Have to Wait 5 Months to Receive $1,200 Relief Check
"That's not even remotely fast enough for the millions of working people who have seen their hours slashed, their expenses rise, and their government refuse to take sufficient action."
Common Dreams, April 3, 2020
As Millions Struggle to Meet Basic Needs, Trump Organization Requests Financial Relief
"I'd be interested in knowing what help Trump and Jared are extending to their tenants as they ask for help themselves."
Common Dreams, April 2, 2020
Amid Critical Supply Shortage, Fema Is Spending Millions To Protect Trump Properties
FEMA has provided a small fraction of the necessary masks and ventilators. Federal officials knew of these shortages, but did nothing. Since 2017, FEMA has earmarked $41 million every year to provide security for Donald Trump's properties.
The Intercept, April 4, 2020
Coronavirus Hasn't Stopped Jared Kushner's Real Estate Empire From Hounding Tenants With Debt Collection, Eviction Lawsuits
At least 15 tenants in New Jersey and Maryland have been on the receiving end of lawsuits from Kushner-owned properties even after both states declared states of emergency.
The Intercept, April 4, 2020
"There's Going to Be Scandal Involved in This Bailout. It Is Unquestionable"
Here We Go Again! A discussion between Bill Moyers and Neil Barofksy, former chief inspector general of the TARP program, on big corporate bailouts.
Common Dreams, April 3, 2020
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