bipartisanreport--2020-04-02--Hillary Issues Demand For Trump To Protect Americans

Amidst the Coronavirus pandemic , which has left hundreds of thousands of Americans infected and counting , the Trump administration has refused to re-open enrollment in health care plans covered by the Affordable Care Act , aka Obamacare , despite calls to do so in order to help protect uninsured Americans from sudden large medical bills .
With almost ten million new confirmed unemployment filings in the last two weeks alone and potential staggeringly high new Coronavirus case counts — the shock of exorbitant medical bills would be terribly timed .
This week , Hillary Clinton joined those publicly demanding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enrollment .
It ’ s worth noting that there is a provision in the law that allows people who lose their employer-sponsored healthcare to sign up for an Obamacare plan regardless of the time of year .
However , that ’ s still an unnecessary procedural hurdle , and many of the millions in need of assistance might not be aware of the option at all .
A complete reopen of the ACA ’ s healthcare market could help mitigate those issues , and last week , insurers had been expecting an announcement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier this week , a Trump administration official confirmed to POLITICO that the White House had backed off from the plan .
Coronavirus testing is now free , at least on paper , but treatment is not — and treatment costs could easily balloon , considering a projection from the University of Washington for a need of over 31,000 invasive ventilators across the U.S. on the national peak infection date .
Check out Twitter ’ s response to Hillary below..

Amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, which has left hundreds of thousands of Americans infected and counting, the Trump administration has refused to re-open enrollment in health care plans covered by the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, despite calls to do so in order to help protect uninsured Americans from sudden large medical bills. With almost ten million new confirmed unemployment filings in the last two weeks alone and potential staggeringly high new Coronavirus case counts — the shock of exorbitant medical bills would be terribly timed. This week, Hillary Clinton joined those publicly demanding that the Trump administration re-open Obamacare plan enrollment.
She tweeted:
‘Millions of people have lost their employer-tied health care over the last two weeks because of the pandemic. It’s an easy call: Re-open the health care exchanges.’
Millions of people have lost their employer-tied health care over the last two weeks because of the pandemic. It's an easy call: Re-open the health care exchanges. https://t.co/otTxOpyB3b — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) April 2, 2020
It’s worth noting that there is a provision in the law that allows people who lose their employer-sponsored healthcare to sign up for an Obamacare plan regardless of the time of year. However, that’s still an unnecessary procedural hurdle, and many of the millions in need of assistance might not be aware of the option at all. A complete reopen of the ACA’s healthcare market could help mitigate those issues, and last week, insurers had been expecting an announcement of a new enrollment period — but earlier this week, a Trump administration official confirmed to POLITICO that the White House had backed off from the plan.
Coronavirus testing is now free, at least on paper, but treatment is not — and treatment costs could easily balloon, considering a projection from the University of Washington for a need of over 31,000 invasive ventilators across the U.S. on the national peak infection date.
Check out Twitter’s response to Hillary below..


bipartisanreport--2020-04-02--Michelle Obama Shares Inspirational Crisis Message

Although President Donald Trump has been sticking to Coronavirus crisis responses like belligerent conspiracy theories about medical personnel supposedly hoarding supplies — they ’ re not — others , like former First Lady Michelle Obama , have stepped up to provide inspirational leadership in the president ’ s absence .
This week , she shared a message on Twitter admonishing her followers to thank those like first responders who are on the front lines of the fight against the virus — the exact same sorts of people that Trump threw under the bus with his gross , baseless conspiracy theory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread far and wide across social media of the first responders and other medical personnel putting themselves on the line to bring support to the growing number of Coronavirus victims .
Reporter Michael Wilson spoke about the “ now-constant peal of the ambulance siren ” in New York City , which has been hit especially hard .
Michelle Obama tweeted , alongside some photos showing examples of what she was referencing : It ’ s incredible that a basic level of respect for first responders can ’ t even be taken as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States amidst an increasingly deadly national crisis .
During a recent CNN segment , emergency room physician Dr. Leana Wen called Trump ’ s idea that medical personnel are hoarding supplies “ insulting.
” Workers in many other industries have been gravely affected by the Coronavirus outbreak as well .
This past week , a staggering 6.6 million Americans newly filed for unemployment , which followed the previous one-week record of some 3.3 million new filings just the week before .
That ’ s almost ten million Americans who ’ ve been left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stem the spread of the Coronavirus .
Check out Twitter ’ s response to Michelle Obama below :

Although President Donald Trump has been sticking to Coronavirus crisis responses like belligerent conspiracy theories about medical personnel supposedly hoarding supplies — they’re not — others, like former First Lady Michelle Obama, have stepped up to provide inspirational leadership in the president’s absence. This week, she shared a message on Twitter admonishing her followers to thank those like first responders who are on the front lines of the fight against the virus — the exact same sorts of people that Trump threw under the bus with his gross, baseless conspiracy theory about supply hoarding.
Stories have repeatedly spread far and wide across social media of the first responders and other medical personnel putting themselves on the line to bring support to the growing number of Coronavirus victims. Reporter Michael Wilson spoke about the “now-constant peal of the ambulance siren” in New York City, which has been hit especially hard.
Michelle Obama tweeted, alongside some photos showing examples of what she was referencing:
‘If you’re feeling as grateful to––and in awe of––our first responders as I am, now is the time to let them know. A handwritten letter, a social media post, or a simple “thank you” text can go a long way in showing our appreciation for these heroes among us.’
If you’re feeling as grateful to––and in awe of––our first responders as I am, now is the time to let them know. A handwritten letter, a social media post, or a simple “thank you” text can go a long way in showing our appreciation for these heroes among us. pic.twitter.com/DNFtFYF9SZ — Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) April 1, 2020
It’s incredible that a basic level of respect for first responders can’t even be taken as a given from the president of the United States amidst an increasingly deadly national crisis. During a recent CNN segment, emergency room physician Dr. Leana Wen called Trump’s idea that medical personnel are hoarding supplies “insulting.”
This is the week the coronavirus truly took hold in New York City, its arrival announced with the now-constant peal of the ambulance siren. Everyone knows someone who is sick. https://t.co/BFqX9BPsbM — Michael Wilson (@MWilsonNYT) April 2, 2020
Workers in many other industries have been gravely affected by the Coronavirus outbreak as well. This past week, a staggering 6.6 million Americans newly filed for unemployment, which followed the previous one-week record of some 3.3 million new filings just the week before. That’s almost ten million Americans who’ve been left out of work amidst the fight to stem the spread of the Coronavirus.
Check out Twitter’s response to Michelle Obama below:


bipartisanreport--2020-04-02--Trump Suddenly Announces Call With Dictator Friend

Amidst the Coronavirus pandemic , which has claimed the lives of well over 5,000 Americans and counting , President Donald Trump appears concerned with protecting the oil industry .
Amidst a spat between Russia and Saudi Arabia , the global oil market has been flooded with large amounts of supply , but demand has plummeted amidst the economic downturn sparked by attempts to stem the Coronavirus ’ s spread .
That ’ s driven oil prices down across the board , which has affected U.S. producers .
This Thursday , Trump said he ’ d just spoken about the issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — who he called his “ friend , ” although the leader ordered the execution of a U.S. resident journalist , Jamal Khashoggi .
‘ Just spoke to my friend MBS ( Crown Prince ) of Saudi Arabia , who spoke with President Putin of Russia , & I expect & hope that they will be cutting back approximately 10 Million Barrels , and maybe substantially more which , if it happens , will be GREAT for the oil & gas industry !
…..Could be as high as 15 Million Barrels .
Good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ Russian President Vladimir Putin ’ s spokesman Dmitry Peskov actually denied that there was any conversation between his boss and the Saudi leadership , as Trump claimed .
Trump himself spoke with Putin just the other day , seemingly at least in part about energy-related issues .
Russia and Saudi Arabia have so far failed to come to an agreement to cut oil production in the face of the lowering demand and prices around the globe .
That ’ s great for the oil companies ; meanwhile , Americans around the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supplies needed to fight off the Coronavirus .
Trump suggested on Twitter just this Thursday that increasing demands for supply assistance constituted some kind of plot against him — which is embarassingly ludicrous for a president of the United States to say .

Amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed the lives of well over 5,000 Americans and counting, President Donald Trump appears concerned with protecting the oil industry. Amidst a spat between Russia and Saudi Arabia, the global oil market has been flooded with large amounts of supply, but demand has plummeted amidst the economic downturn sparked by attempts to stem the Coronavirus’s spread. That’s driven oil prices down across the board, which has affected U.S. producers. This Thursday, Trump said he’d just spoken about the issue with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — who he called his “friend,” although the leader ordered the execution of a U.S. resident journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.
Trump tweeted:
‘Just spoke to my friend MBS (Crown Prince) of Saudi Arabia, who spoke with President Putin of Russia, & I expect & hope that they will be cutting back approximately 10 Million Barrels, and maybe substantially more which, if it happens, will be GREAT for the oil & gas industry! …..Could be as high as 15 Million Barrels. Good (GREAT) news for everyone!’
Just spoke to my friend MBS (Crown Prince) of Saudi Arabia, who spoke with President Putin of Russia, & I expect & hope that they will be cutting back approximately 10 Million Barrels, and maybe substantially more which, if it happens, will be GREAT for the oil & gas industry! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 2, 2020
…..Could be as high as 15 Million Barrels. Good (GREAT) news for everyone! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 2, 2020
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov actually denied that there was any conversation between his boss and the Saudi leadership, as Trump claimed. Trump himself spoke with Putin just the other day, seemingly at least in part about energy-related issues. Russia and Saudi Arabia have so far failed to come to an agreement to cut oil production in the face of the lowering demand and prices around the globe.
On Wednesday, Trump claimed to reporters:
‘I think that Saudi Arabia, Russia, they’re negotiating. They’re talking. And I think they’ll come up with something.’
That’s great for the oil companies; meanwhile, Americans around the country are struggling to come up with basic supplies needed to fight off the Coronavirus.
Trump suggested on Twitter just this Thursday that increasing demands for supply assistance constituted some kind of plot against him — which is embarassingly ludicrous for a president of the United States to say.
Check out Twitter’s response…


bipartisanreport--2020-04-02--Kushner Taking Over Internal WH Virus Response

Apparently , even as the public-facing Coronavirus response task force in the Trump administration features the work of leading public health specialists like Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx , a separate internal team at the White House has formed to weigh in on Coronavirus responses .
It ’ s led by — wait for it — Jared Kushner , the president ’ s completely inexperienced son-in-law who ’ s taken on an almost comically , outlandishly large portfolio of responsibilities while in the White House .
He ’ s not exactly racked up some kind of great record @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s all been in the name of… what exactly ?
Trump ’ s personal favoritism ?
Now , lives are on the line .
According to a new report from POLITICO , Kushner has even taken over decision-making to the point of sporting broader authority than Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar , who ’ s at least tried to look like he knew what he was doing .
Kushner ’ s team and the private companies that they ’ re working with apparently have little to no oversight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manner of conflicts of interest could be weighing on the business side of the federal government ’ s resource strategizing amidst the Coronavirus crisis .
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington ( CREW ) spokesperson Jordan Libowitz commented : Reportedly , they ’ re at least heading down the road towards “ nefarious ” schemes , because the POLITICO piece claims that it ’ s Jared Kushner who claimed to Trump that New York was overstating its need for ventilators .
Kushner has no medical experience — obviously — and yet , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who ’ ve actually worked in public health without their family connections giving them a golden carpet to get to the job .
Dr. Fauci , for instance , has said that he believes New York Governor Andrew Cuomo when he says the state seems to need tens of thousands of ventilators .
But Trump — at Kushner ’ s urging , apparently — has turned the question of getting states the resources that they need into a political spectacle .
Is Donald Trump aware that he ’ s the president of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that this is all some game ?
He ’ s the one who was supposed to stock up !
He ’ s the one who got briefings about the severity of the incoming Coronavirus crisis and then publicly proclaimed that actually , the Coronavirus concern was all a hoax .
Surprise : it ’ s not and it never has been , and now the U.S. death toll has soared past 5,300 and counting as of early Thursday .

Apparently, even as the public-facing Coronavirus response task force in the Trump administration features the work of leading public health specialists like Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx, a separate internal team at the White House has formed to weigh in on Coronavirus responses. It’s led by — wait for it — Jared Kushner, the president’s completely inexperienced son-in-law who’s taken on an almost comically, outlandishly large portfolio of responsibilities while in the White House. He’s not exactly racked up some kind of great record while in the White House, so it’s all been in the name of… what exactly? Trump’s personal favoritism? Now, lives are on the line.
According to a new report from POLITICO, Kushner has even taken over decision-making to the point of sporting broader authority than Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, who’s at least tried to look like he knew what he was doing. Kushner’s team and the private companies that they’re working with apparently have little to no oversight at this point, suggesting that all manner of conflicts of interest could be weighing on the business side of the federal government’s resource strategizing amidst the Coronavirus crisis.
As POLITICO put it:
‘People around Kushner are fielding all manner of outside pitches, making it difficult for the group to stay focused. And there is limited vetting of private companies and executives’ financial interests, raising questions about the motivations and potential conflicts inherent in an operation that relies on an ill-defined and ever-expanding group of outside contributors.’
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) spokesperson Jordan Libowitz commented:
‘They’re not necessarily doing something nefarious, but if they were, this is what they would do to hide it.’
Reportedly, they’re at least heading down the road towards “nefarious” schemes, because the POLITICO piece claims that it’s Jared Kushner who claimed to Trump that New York was overstating its need for ventilators. Kushner has no medical experience — obviously — and yet, he’s working to supersede those who’ve actually worked in public health without their family connections giving them a golden carpet to get to the job. Dr. Fauci, for instance, has said that he believes New York Governor Andrew Cuomo when he says the state seems to need tens of thousands of ventilators.
But Trump — at Kushner’s urging, apparently — has turned the question of getting states the resources that they need into a political spectacle.
On Thursday, he tweeted:
‘Massive amounts of medical supplies, even hospitals and medical centers, are being delivered directly to states and hospitals by the Federal Government. Some have insatiable appetites & are never satisfied (politics?)… The complainers should have been stocked up and ready long before this crisis hit.’
….have been stocked up and ready long before this crisis hit. Other states are thrilled with the job we have done. Sending many Ventilators today, with thousands being built. 51 large cargo planes coming in with medical supplies. Prefer sending directly to hospitals. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 2, 2020
Is Donald Trump aware that he’s the president of the United States, or does he think that this is all some game? He’s the one who was supposed to stock up! He’s the one who got briefings about the severity of the incoming Coronavirus crisis and then publicly proclaimed that actually, the Coronavirus concern was all a hoax. Surprise: it’s not and it never has been, and now the U.S. death toll has soared past 5,300 and counting as of early Thursday.


bipartisanreport--2020-04-02--Fauci Responds To Death Threats Like a Hero

Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health , who has worked in public health for decades , has apparently faced a spike in death threats amidst his current work on the federal government ’ s response to the Coronavirus outbreak , which has sparked the reported assignment of a security detail for the doctor .
Although the exact nature of all the threats doesn ’ t appear publicly spelled out , some particularly virulent Trump supporters have come up with and spread the completely baseless conspiracy theory that Fauci is conspiring to undermine the president .
This week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s not overly concerned about the threats and is focusing on doing his job .
‘ You know , it ’ s my job .
This is the life I ’ ve chosen , and I ’ m doing it .
I mean , obviously there ’ s a lot of pressure .
I would be foolish to deny that , but that ’ s what I do .
I ’ ve been through crises like this before , dating back , you know , thirty-seven years from the very beginning of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a job to do , and we ’ ve just got to do it.
’ Throughout the crisis , Fauci has taken a consistently focused approach to dealing with the crisis .
He ’ s not gotten into political spats ; instead , he has attempted to consistently convey the gravity of the situation and potential outcomes in order to enact effective policy changes .
He was among those who apparently convinced the president to recently extend national social distancing guidelines until the end of April , and he was also among those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the administration shared the forecast that as many as 100,000 to 240,000 Americans could die from the Coronavirus — which , to put the figure in perspective , is higher than the American death toll in the entire Vietnam War .
During his time on CBS , Fauci noted that those numbers are not set in stone , which is why authorities around the country have been attempting to enact social distancing in order to stem the spread of the virus for long enough to get the situation under control — even though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some social distancing is in place .
( Projections without social distancing in place are much higher . )
‘ It ’ s within our power to modify those numbers .
Those numbers that you heard the other day… were… based on a model .
You model what the projection might be , and the projection was that even with considerable mitigation , you still could anticipate between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths .
However , if you really push hard on mitigation and data comes in that tells you you ’ re doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ modify the model… We shouldn ’ t give up and accept it and say okay , that ’ s gon na happen .
We need to push and push.
’ Trump has consistently had to be convinced to “ push and push.
” It wasn ’ t that long ago in the grand scheme of things that he was calling the virus concern a hoax altogether .
Now , as large numbers of Americans die , he ’ s slowly getting cajoled into acting — and he ’ s still failing to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seriously .

Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health, who has worked in public health for decades, has apparently faced a spike in death threats amidst his current work on the federal government’s response to the Coronavirus outbreak, which has sparked the reported assignment of a security detail for the doctor. Although the exact nature of all the threats doesn’t appear publicly spelled out, some particularly virulent Trump supporters have come up with and spread the completely baseless conspiracy theory that Fauci is conspiring to undermine the president. This week on CBS, Fauci suggested that he’s not overly concerned about the threats and is focusing on doing his job.
He told host Gayle King:
‘You know, it’s my job. This is the life I’ve chosen, and I’m doing it. I mean, obviously there’s a lot of pressure. I would be foolish to deny that, but that’s what I do. I’ve been through crises like this before, dating back, you know, thirty-seven years from the very beginning of the HIV epidemic. It’s a job to do, and we’ve just got to do it.’
Watch below:
Dr. Fauci on the personal pressure and reports that he now needs security: "You know, it's my job. This is the life I've chosen, and I'm doing it. I mean, obviously there's a lot of pressure. I would be foolish to deny that… It's a job to do, and we've just got to do it." pic.twitter.com/Gt8l4z2r1E — CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) April 2, 2020
Throughout the crisis, Fauci has taken a consistently focused approach to dealing with the crisis. He’s not gotten into political spats; instead, he has attempted to consistently convey the gravity of the situation and potential outcomes in order to enact effective policy changes. He was among those who apparently convinced the president to recently extend national social distancing guidelines until the end of April, and he was also among those at the press conference this week where the administration shared the forecast that as many as 100,000 to 240,000 Americans could die from the Coronavirus — which, to put the figure in perspective, is higher than the American death toll in the entire Vietnam War.
During his time on CBS, Fauci noted that those numbers are not set in stone, which is why authorities around the country have been attempting to enact social distancing in order to stem the spread of the virus for long enough to get the situation under control — even though the projections do assume that at least some social distancing is in place. (Projections without social distancing in place are much higher.)
Fauci commented:
‘It’s within our power to modify those numbers. Those numbers that you heard the other day… were… based on a model. You model what the projection might be, and the projection was that even with considerable mitigation, you still could anticipate between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths. However, if you really push hard on mitigation and data comes in that tells you you’re doing better than the model, you can modify the model… We shouldn’t give up and accept it and say okay, that’s gonna happen. We need to push and push.’
Watch below:
Why should we not be discouraged when we hear such frightening numbers? — @GayleKing Dr. Fauci: "It's within our power to modify those numbers… if you really push hard on mitigation & data comes in that tells you you're doing better than the model, you can modify the model" pic.twitter.com/SQez0kqQ2J — CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) April 2, 2020
Trump has consistently had to be convinced to “push and push.” It wasn’t that long ago in the grand scheme of things that he was calling the virus concern a hoax altogether. Now, as large numbers of Americans die, he’s slowly getting cajoled into acting — and he’s still failing to take needs like more testing and medical supplies seriously.


bipartisanreport--2020-04-02--Trump Ignored Military Warning Of 100k+ COVID-19 Deaths

At a recent press conference , the Trump administration ’ s Coronavirus response team discussed projections that between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans could end up dying from the Coronavirus in coming weeks and months — and that toll , ominously , fits right in line with worst-case scenario projections that were issued by the Army on February 3 of this year .
Those projections appear to have been largely ignored as a potential freak accident-like scenario , but if those in positions of power within the administration had taken the possibility seriously , more lifesaving preparations could have been undertaken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taking the virus outbreak seriously .
That Army analysis included the projection that “ between 80,000 and 150,000 could die.
” It also suggested according to a worst case scenario that the Coronavirus could “ easily be transmitted while Asymptomatic ” — which has proven true — and that between 300,000 and 500,000 Americans may end up needing hospitalizations through the course of the outbreak .
That number too is close to current projections that have been proven by the course of the virus ’ s spread ; according to projections from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospital beds will be needed on the projected national peak day of the pandemic .
According to The Daily Beast , the dismal early Army assessment of a potential worst-case scenario “ made it to high levels within U.S. Northern Command ( NORTHCOM ) , the military command responsible for operations in North America and which aided civilian agencies ’ early responses to evacuating and quarantining Americans abroad.
” Those who reportedly received the document included NORTHCOM commander Gen. Terrence O ’ Shaughnessy , Army-North commander Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson , Army Chief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy , who is a political nominee of Trump himself .
O ’ Shaughnessy insisted at a Wednesday press conference that he ’ s “ not going to talk about operational-level details nor would I talk about an actual operational plan or planning document , ” but he admitted : ‘ The reality of it is is that you want us planning for the worst-case scenarios , you want us planning for the what ifs—us thinking ahead into all those things that might and could possibly happen and that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not only on this particular effort but on a myriad of different threats we face to the homeland.
’ These “ worst-case scenarios ” are slowly but surely coming to pass in the wake of officials in the administration like President Trump failing to take the threat of the virus seriously , a failure that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) recently called “ deadly.
” Although Trump issued a Chinese travel ban shortly before the date of the Army ’ s assessment , weeks after , he called concern over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his administration continued to fail to secure adequate supplies like large-scale Coronavirus testing capabilities for the United States .
That failure helped allow the virus to spread to its current massive levels , even though in late February Trump insisted , with no basis whatsoever , that Coronavirus spread in the U.S. “ within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero , that ’ s a pretty good job we ’ ve done.
” He was completely wrong .

At a recent press conference, the Trump administration’s Coronavirus response team discussed projections that between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans could end up dying from the Coronavirus in coming weeks and months — and that toll, ominously, fits right in line with worst-case scenario projections that were issued by the Army on February 3 of this year. Those projections appear to have been largely ignored as a potential freak accident-like scenario, but if those in positions of power within the administration had taken the possibility seriously, more lifesaving preparations could have been undertaken weeks before Trump got around to actually taking the virus outbreak seriously.
That Army analysis included the projection that “between 80,000 and 150,000 could die.” It also suggested according to a worst case scenario that the Coronavirus could “easily be transmitted while Asymptomatic” — which has proven true — and that between 300,000 and 500,000 Americans may end up needing hospitalizations through the course of the outbreak. That number too is close to current projections that have been proven by the course of the virus’s spread; according to projections from the University of Washington, slightly over 300,000 hospital beds will be needed on the projected national peak day of the pandemic.
According to The Daily Beast, the dismal early Army assessment of a potential worst-case scenario “made it to high levels within U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM), the military command responsible for operations in North America and which aided civilian agencies’ early responses to evacuating and quarantining Americans abroad.” Those who reportedly received the document included NORTHCOM commander Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy, Army-North commander Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville, and Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, who is a political nominee of Trump himself.
O’Shaughnessy insisted at a Wednesday press conference that he’s “not going to talk about operational-level details nor would I talk about an actual operational plan or planning document,” but he admitted:
‘The reality of it is is that you want us planning for the worst-case scenarios, you want us planning for the what ifs—us thinking ahead into all those things that might and could possibly happen and that’s what we’ve been doing, not only on this particular effort but on a myriad of different threats we face to the homeland.’
These “worst-case scenarios” are slowly but surely coming to pass in the wake of officials in the administration like President Trump failing to take the threat of the virus seriously, a failure that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) recently called “deadly.”
Although Trump issued a Chinese travel ban shortly before the date of the Army’s assessment, weeks after, he called concern over the Coronavirus a “hoax” while his administration continued to fail to secure adequate supplies like large-scale Coronavirus testing capabilities for the United States.
That failure helped allow the virus to spread to its current massive levels, even though in late February Trump insisted, with no basis whatsoever, that Coronavirus spread in the U.S. “within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero, that’s a pretty good job we’ve done.” He was completely wrong.


bipartisanreport--2020-04-02--Trump Explodes On Schumer In Defensive AM Freakout

Donald Trump has been going around patting himself on the back , as usual .
He must have been one of those kids whose parents gave him five dollars or five million dollars for participating in an event — even though he lost .
As a result , he has denied any wrong-doing in the COVID-19 pandemic .
The president claimed that his beleaguered and incomplete move to support New York could “ never be good enough.
” That is true , but not because the state was at fault .
It is true , because Trump mismanaged the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ten times what as needed : ” The commander-in-chief claimed that the Senate Minority Leader “ cryin ’ Chuck Schumer ” should just “ quit crying : ” ‘ …It wouldn ’ t matter if you got ten times what was needed , it would never be good enough .
Unlike other states , New York unfortunately got off to a late start .
You should have pushed harder .
Stop complaining & find out where all of these supplies are going .
Cuomo working hard !
’ ‘ Somebody please explain to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a military man in charge of distributing goods , a very talented Admiral , in fact .
New York has gotten far more than any other State ( sic ) , including hospitals & a hospital ship , but no matter what , always complaining….. ’ ‘ A big thanks to all the workers of ups ( sic ) , usps ( sic ) , Amazon , etc .
who are still going to work every day risking their health to make sure people get their packages in this time of dire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ With total respect and recognizing you are doing more than any President has ..
Please have consider my # Plan2020 ( which I briefed you on ) .
The economy needs a lifeline- from the consumer up .
# Plan2020 is that lifeline.
’ Twitter world lit up after morning talk show told him to put “ a military man ” ( or woman ) in charge .
Check out some of our favorites below : The Mueller Report Adventures : In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page .
These quick , two-minute reads @ @ @ @ @ @ @ busy people .
Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery .
Interestingly enough , Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order .

Donald Trump has been going around patting himself on the back, as usual. He must have been one of those kids whose parents gave him five dollars or five million dollars for participating in an event — even though he lost. As a result, he has denied any wrong-doing in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The president claimed that his beleaguered and incomplete move to support New York could “never be good enough.” That is true, but not because the state was at fault. It is true, because Trump mismanaged the virus pandemic until it was less than “ten times what as needed:”
The commander-in-chief claimed that the Senate Minority Leader “cryin’ Chuck Schumer” should just “quit crying:”
‘…It wouldn’t matter if you got ten times what was needed, it would never be good enough. Unlike other states, New York unfortunately got off to a late start. You should have pushed harder. Stop complaining & find out where all of these supplies are going. Cuomo working hard!’
‘Somebody please explain to Cryin’ Chuck Schumer that we do have a military man in charge of distributing goods, a very talented Admiral, in fact. New York has gotten far more than any other State (sic), including hospitals & a hospital ship, but no matter what, always complaining…..’
‘….have been stocked up and ready long before this crisis hit. Other states are thrilled with the job we have done. Sending many Ventilators today, with thousands being built. 51 large cargo planes coming in with medical supplies. Prefer sending directly to hospitals.’
‘Massive amounts of medical supplies, even hospitals and medical centers, are being delivered directly to states and hospitals by the Federal Government. Some have insatiable appetites & are never satisfied (politics?). Remember, we are a backup for them. The complainers should…’
‘A big thanks to all the workers of ups (sic), usps (sic), Amazon, etc. who are still going to work every day risking their health to make sure people get their packages in this time of dire need #ThanksForDelivering ‘Mr. President With total respect and recognizing you are doing more than any President has .. Please have @stevenmnuchin1 and @larry_kudlow consider my #Plan2020 (which I briefed you on). The economy needs a lifeline- from the consumer up. #Plan2020 is that lifeline.’
‘Great idea!’
Twitter world lit up after morning talk show told him to put “a military man” (or woman) in charge. Check out some of our favorites below:
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.


bipartisanreport--2020-04-03--Fox News Under The Gun For Fake Coronavirus News

There are over 6.65 million people who have filed for unemployment .
That is double the expected rate .
In New York , the EMS ( Emergency Medical System ) .
has been advised that they will take no cardiac patients if they have no pulse or chance of surviving .
Amid this disturbing news , a group of journalists accused Fox News of fake coronavirus news .
There are over “ 215,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 ” in America .
Almost “ 5,000 deaths ” the Johns Hopkins University indicated .
As a result of Donald Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 75 journalism/comms professors +journalists ” sent an open letter to Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch complaining of “ misinformation : ” ‘ Another way of looking at the information is with this map from FOX News : The letter claimed that 79 percent of Fox News viewers indicated that Fox News had “ overstated the potency of the virus.
” In addition , they claimed that the average age for Fox News viewers is 65-years-old .
These individuals are one of the two most susceptible to the virus .
The other is group contains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conditions .
The letter shows that some of Fox News ’ s reporters have done quality work , but some of the nighly pundits had not .
They are Sean Hannity , Steve Hilton , and Tucker Carlson .
This letter pointed to one of Carlson ’ s questionable segments regarding antimalarial drugs that were effective against COVID-19 .
Dr. Anthony Fauci , the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a primary member of the White House ’ s coronavirus task force .
Fauci has urged and cautioned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more stringent studies and trials need to be conducted before calling it an effective treatment option .
‘ Inexcusably , Fox News has violated elementary canons of journalism .
In so doing , it has contributed to the spread of a grave pandemic .
Urgently , therefore , in the name of both good journalism and public health , we call upon you to help protect the lives of all Americans—including your elderly viewers—by ensuring that the information you deliver is based on scientific facts.
’ Twitter world caught fire .
Check out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The featured image is a screenshot via YouTube .
The Mueller Report Adventures : In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page .
These quick , two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people .
Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery .
Interestingly enough , Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order .

There are over 6.65 million people who have filed for unemployment. That is double the expected rate. In New York, the EMS (Emergency Medical System). has been advised that they will take no cardiac patients if they have no pulse or chance of surviving. Amid this disturbing news, a group of journalists accused Fox News of fake coronavirus news.
There are over “215,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19” in America. Almost “5,000 deaths” the Johns Hopkins University indicated. As a result of Donald Trump’s poor handling of the situation, “75 journalism/comms professors +journalists” sent an open letter to Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch complaining of “misinformation:”
’74 journalism / comms professors + journalists have written an open letter to Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch about the network’s coronavirus coverage. “Viewers of Fox News, including the president of the United States, have been regularly subjected to misinformation…’
‘Another way of looking at the information is with this map from FOX News:
The letter claimed that 79 percent of Fox News viewers indicated that Fox News had “overstated the potency of the virus.” In addition, they claimed that the average age for Fox News viewers is 65-years-old. These individuals are one of the two most susceptible to the virus. The other is group contains those with complications from their underlying health conditions.
The letter shows that some of Fox News’s reporters have done quality work, but some of the nighly pundits had not. They are Sean Hannity, Steve Hilton, and Tucker Carlson.
This letter pointed to one of Carlson’s questionable segments regarding antimalarial drugs that were effective against COVID-19. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a primary member of the White House’s coronavirus task force. Fauci has urged and cautioned that the treatment is still unproven and more stringent studies and trials need to be conducted before calling it an effective treatment option.
The letter wraps up:
‘Inexcusably, Fox News has violated elementary canons of journalism. In so doing, it has contributed to the spread of a grave pandemic. Urgently, therefore, in the name of both good journalism and public health, we call upon you to help protect the lives of all Americans—including your elderly viewers—by ensuring that the information you deliver is based on scientific facts.’
Twitter world caught fire. Check out some of Americans’ responses below:
The featured image is a screenshot via YouTube.
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.


bipartisanreport--2020-04-02--GOP Official Admits His ignorance Infected His People

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp ( R ) claimed that he was ignorant .
Yet , ignorance is not an excuse that goes over well with the public .
That is especially true during this time of the coronavirus pandemic .
Donald Trump announces his COVID-19 staff much like a 1950 ’ s nightclub host instead of a president of these United States .
At a press conference , The National Review reported that Kemp said : The governor finally claimed that he announced his state ’ s shelter-in-place order Wednesday .
At the same time , he said he had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ symptoms could spread coronavirus : ‘ The reason I ’ m taking this action , like I ’ ve continued to tell people , I ’ m following the data , I ’ m following the advice of Dr. [ Kathleen ] Toomey .
Finding out that this virus is now transmitting before people see signs , so what we ’ ve been telling people from directives from the CDC for weeks now that if you start feeling bad , stay home … those individuals could ’ ve been infecting people before they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t know that until the last 24 hours .
And as Dr. Toomey told me , this is a game changer for us.
’ People who pay any attention to the news about the coronavirus have known for months that those without symptoms could spread the virus .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ’ s ( CDC ) Robert Redfield indicated that approximately 25 percent of all cases are asymptomatic : It has been widely known for months that the coronavirus can spread through the asymptomatic transmission .
However , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recently updated its guidelines for outbreak mitigation regarding asymptomatic transmission , leading Georgia health officials to change their projections for an outbreak in the state .
Kemp started out standing firmly against a state shelter-in-place order .
He said that it would affect Georgia ’ s economy .
However , the governors from the South have bonded together : Florida , South Carolina , and Texas .
There are “ 4,748 ” confirmed cases in Georgia .
Florida has “ 7,773 , ” and South Carolina rounds out the trio ’ s number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Johns Hopkins University .
Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday that as the coronavirus has spread across the nation : The Mueller Report Adventures : In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page .
These quick , two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people .
Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery .
Interestingly enough , Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order .

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R) claimed that he was ignorant. Yet, ignorance is not an excuse that goes over well with the public. That is especially true during this time of the coronavirus pandemic. Donald Trump announces his COVID-19 staff much like a 1950’s nightclub host instead of a president of these United States.
At a press conference, The National Review reported that Kemp said:
‘[The illness is now] transmitting before people see signs….Those individuals could have been infecting people before they ever felt [symptoms].’
The governor finally claimed that he announced his state’s shelter-in-place order Wednesday. At the same time, he said he had no idea that people who had no symptoms could spread coronavirus:
‘The reason I’m taking this action, like I’ve continued to tell people, I’m following the data, I’m following the advice of Dr. [Kathleen] Toomey. Finding out that this virus is now transmitting before people see signs, so what we’ve been telling people from directives from the CDC for weeks now that if you start feeling bad, stay home … those individuals could’ve been infecting people before they ever felt bad. But we didn’t know that until the last 24 hours. And as Dr. Toomey told me, this is a game changer for us.’
People who pay any attention to the news about the coronavirus have known for months that those without symptoms could spread the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Robert Redfield indicated that approximately 25 percent of all cases are asymptomatic:
‘[T]his helps explain how rapidly this virus continues to spread across the country because we have asymptomatic transmitters and we have individuals who are transmitting 48 hours before they become symptomatic.’
It has been widely known for months that the coronavirus can spread through the asymptomatic transmission. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated its guidelines for outbreak mitigation regarding asymptomatic transmission, leading Georgia health officials to change their projections for an outbreak in the state.
Manager of Georgia’s Department of Public Health Dr. Kathleen Toomey noted:
‘It’s a combination of recognizing there’s a large number of people out there who are infected and who are infected, who are asymptomatic, who never would have been recognized under our old models, but also seeing the community transmission that we’re seeing.’
Kemp started out standing firmly against a state shelter-in-place order. He said that it would affect Georgia’s economy. However, the governors from the South have bonded together: Florida, South Carolina, and Texas. There are “4,748” confirmed cases in Georgia. Florida has “7,773,” and South Carolina rounds out the trio’s number at “1,293” cases, according to the Johns Hopkins University.
Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday that as the coronavirus has spread across the nation:
‘Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday said the outbreak in the U.S. was increasingly comparable to that of Italy, one of the worst outbreaks in the western hemisphere.’
Featured image is a screenshot via YouTube.
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.


bipartisanreport--2020-04-03--Carson Humiliates Himself Trying To Defend Trump

President Donald Trump ’ s inner circle behaves increasingly like a cult , with relentless deference to their “ Dear Leader.
” This week during an appearance on Sean Hannity ’ s Fox News show , Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson pompously proclaimed that President Trump isn ’ t getting enough credit for being “ courageous.
” That ’ s right ; an actual medical doctor , who ’ s also supposed to lead housing policy in the U.S. , claimed that the guy is “ courageous ” who couldn ’ t even be bothered to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dying .
The oh-so-courageous Trump discounted the science of the Coronavirus spread , calling concern a “ hoax , ” until it was too late to stop large-scale spread .
Carson insisted to Hannity , in reference to the administration ’ s supposedly great Coronavirus response : ‘ Absolutely , they ’ re not getting the credit for it .
And for that sake , you know , neither is the president getting the credit for being incredibly courageous .
You know , imposing the travel ban so early on .
Now you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were too late .
The same people who were telling people to go out and have fun and to mix.
’ The president and his supporters have referenced his early ban on travel from China , where the Coronavirus first emerged , ad nauseum at this point .
Over and over again it comes up — the problem is that it doesn ’ t remotely make up for the vast ineptitude of all of the other parts of the Trump administration ’ s Coronavirus response .
That ineptitude makes it clear — the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t appear to have been competent and courageous response .
It was racism .
Months after the crisis began , Coronavirus testing remained an issue in some areas of the country , and around the same time — Trump can ’ t even be bothered to take local authorities ’ demands for lifesaving medical assistance seriously .
He ’ s claimed that medical personnel are hoarding supplies and local leaders are playing politics , neither of which have any basis in reality and both of which prove that Trump ’ s not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s putting Americans in danger so that he can play politics .
He belted out on Twitter just this week : No !
That ’ s the job of the president of the United States , too !
Trump is aware that he ’ s the president , right ?
Or does he think this is all some elaborate reality television ruse ?
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) has been among those to hammer the president for his floundering .
During a recent appearance on CNN , she commented : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the beginning was deadly… as the President fiddles , people are dying .
And we just have to take every precaution… the other day when he was signing the bill , he said just think 20 days ago everything was great .
No , everything wasn ’ t great .
We had nearly 500 cases and 17 deaths already .
And in that 20 days because we weren ’ t prepared , we now have 2,000 deaths and 100,000 cases .
’

President Donald Trump’s inner circle behaves increasingly like a cult, with relentless deference to their “Dear Leader.” This week during an appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson pompously proclaimed that President Trump isn’t getting enough credit for being “courageous.” That’s right; an actual medical doctor, who’s also supposed to lead housing policy in the U.S., claimed that the guy is “courageous” who couldn’t even be bothered to take the virus seriously until after Americans were dying. The oh-so-courageous Trump discounted the science of the Coronavirus spread, calling concern a “hoax,” until it was too late to stop large-scale spread.
Carson insisted to Hannity, in reference to the administration’s supposedly great Coronavirus response:
‘Absolutely, they’re not getting the credit for it. And for that sake, you know, neither is the president getting the credit for being incredibly courageous. You know, imposing the travel ban so early on. Now you have people saying, oh, you were too late. The same people who were telling people to go out and have fun and to mix.’
Watch below:
Ben Carson says the President isn’t getting the credit for being courageous pic.twitter.com/RNYLCXG3cp — Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) April 3, 2020
The president and his supporters have referenced his early ban on travel from China, where the Coronavirus first emerged, ad nauseum at this point. Over and over again it comes up — the problem is that it doesn’t remotely make up for the vast ineptitude of all of the other parts of the Trump administration’s Coronavirus response. That ineptitude makes it clear — the drive for the China travel ban doesn’t appear to have been competent and courageous response. It was racism.
Months after the crisis began, Coronavirus testing remained an issue in some areas of the country, and around the same time — Trump can’t even be bothered to take local authorities’ demands for lifesaving medical assistance seriously. He’s claimed that medical personnel are hoarding supplies and local leaders are playing politics, neither of which have any basis in reality and both of which prove that Trump’s not some courageous, valiant leader — he’s putting Americans in danger so that he can play politics.
He belted out on Twitter just this week:
‘Massive amounts of medical supplies, even hospitals and medical centers, are being delivered directly to states and hospitals by the Federal Government. Some have insatiable appetites & are never satisfied (politics?)… The complainers should have been stocked up and ready long before this crisis hit.’
No! That’s the job of the president of the United States, too! Trump is aware that he’s the president, right? Or does he think this is all some elaborate reality television ruse?
….have been stocked up and ready long before this crisis hit. Other states are thrilled with the job we have done. Sending many Ventilators today, with thousands being built. 51 large cargo planes coming in with medical supplies. Prefer sending directly to hospitals. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 2, 2020
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has been among those to hammer the president for his floundering. During a recent appearance on CNN, she commented:
‘What the President, his denial at the beginning was deadly… as the President fiddles, people are dying. And we just have to take every precaution… the other day when he was signing the bill, he said just think 20 days ago everything was great. No, everything wasn’t great. We had nearly 500 cases and 17 deaths already. And in that 20 days because we weren’t prepared, we now have 2,000 deaths and 100,000 cases.’
The numbers prove Pelosi’s point.


bipartisanreport--2020-04-03--Trump’s Approval Rating Plummets In New Coronavirus Poll

After an initial slight bump in President Donald Trump ’ s apparent public approval amidst the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic , his approval ratings have begun sinking again as Americans , no doubt , have had the chance to really observe the president ’ s response to the pandemic , failures and all .
A new ABC News/Ipsos poll , which dropped on Friday , had just 47 percent of Americans approving of Trump ’ s response to the pandemic , while a full 52 percent said that they actively disapproved .
In that same poll from just a couple of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of respondents said that they approved of Trump ’ s Coronavirus response .
The trend continues elsewhere .
From a high back on February 27 when Rasmussen Reports measured that 52 percent of the public approved of Trump ’ s overall performance in office , the president ’ s approval has sunk to the level of just 44 percent of the population , an eight percent drop .
Currently , 53 percent of respondents say that they actively disapprove of the president ’ s overall job performance , meaning that total disapproval leads @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s even worse when measuring just those who “ strongly ” approve and disapprove of the president .
In their most recent numbers , just 32 percent of Rasmussen respondents said that they “ strongly ” approved of the president , while a full 44 percent said that they strongly disapproved .
How exactly does Trump expect to get re-elected with those numbers in place ?
Rasmussen is even a right-leaning pollster !
Overall , RealClearPolitics reports that an average of 49.8 percent of Americans approve of Trump ’ s handling of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say that they disapprove , on average — although the dismal ABC News poll is the most recent one that they have catalogued , so a downward trend could be beginning .
Overall , RealClearPolitics also reports that an average of 46.9 percent of Americans approve of Trump ’ s overall job performance , while 50.6 percent of Americans actively disapprove , on average .
Disapproval from a majority obviously isn ’ t great for a candidate heading into an election — in polling measuring their likely head-to-head match-up in the November general @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leads Trump by an average of 5.9 percent , again according to RealClearPolitics .
The last time that Trump led Biden was a single poll in mid-February .
Trump has frequently explicitly concerned himself with protecting his public image amidst the Coronavirus pandemic .
The other day , he went on a lengthy public rant touting how good the television ratings are for his Coronavirus task force ’ s daily news briefings , which Americans are tuning into because of the deadly pandemic .
He has also frequently tweeted about polls showing high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ March 5 , he used the Coronavirus situation as an occasion to attack opponents , tweeting : For the record , the U.S. death toll from the Coronavirus may soon pass the swine flu death toll .
It ’ s already at almost 7,000 .

After an initial slight bump in President Donald Trump’s apparent public approval amidst the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, his approval ratings have begun sinking again as Americans, no doubt, have had the chance to really observe the president’s response to the pandemic, failures and all. A new ABC News/Ipsos poll, which dropped on Friday, had just 47 percent of Americans approving of Trump’s response to the pandemic, while a full 52 percent said that they actively disapproved. In that same poll from just a couple of weeks ago, a full 55 percent of respondents said that they approved of Trump’s Coronavirus response.
The trend continues elsewhere. From a high back on February 27 when Rasmussen Reports measured that 52 percent of the public approved of Trump’s overall performance in office, the president’s approval has sunk to the level of just 44 percent of the population, an eight percent drop. Currently, 53 percent of respondents say that they actively disapprove of the president’s overall job performance, meaning that total disapproval leads by a full nine percent.
It’s even worse when measuring just those who “strongly” approve and disapprove of the president. In their most recent numbers, just 32 percent of Rasmussen respondents said that they “strongly” approved of the president, while a full 44 percent said that they strongly disapproved. How exactly does Trump expect to get re-elected with those numbers in place? Rasmussen is even a right-leaning pollster!
Overall, RealClearPolitics reports that an average of 49.8 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the Coronavirus outbreak, while 47.7 percent say that they disapprove, on average — although the dismal ABC News poll is the most recent one that they have catalogued, so a downward trend could be beginning. Overall, RealClearPolitics also reports that an average of 46.9 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s overall job performance, while 50.6 percent of Americans actively disapprove, on average.
Disapproval from a majority obviously isn’t great for a candidate heading into an election — in polling measuring their likely head-to-head match-up in the November general election, former Vice President Joe Biden leads Trump by an average of 5.9 percent, again according to RealClearPolitics. The last time that Trump led Biden was a single poll in mid-February.
Trump has frequently explicitly concerned himself with protecting his public image amidst the Coronavirus pandemic. The other day, he went on a lengthy public rant touting how good the television ratings are for his Coronavirus task force’s daily news briefings, which Americans are tuning into because of the deadly pandemic.
Trump tweeted:
‘Because the “Ratings” of my News Conferences etc. are so high, “Bachelor finale, Monday Night Football type numbers” according to the @nytimes , the Lamestream Media is going CRAZY. “Trump is reaching too many people, we must stop him.” said one lunatic.See you at 5:00 P.M.!’
Americans are dying. You are concerned about your TV-ratings. There is no bottom. — Amy Siskind 🏳🌈 (@Amy_Siskind) March 29, 2020
He has also frequently tweeted about polls showing high approval of his Coronavirus response.
On March 5, he used the Coronavirus situation as an occasion to attack opponents, tweeting:
‘Gallup just gave us the highest rating ever for the way we are handling the CoronaVirus situation. The April 2009-10 Swine Flu, where nearly 13,000 people died in the U.S., was poorly handled. Ask MSDNC & lightweight Washington failure @RonaldKlain , who the President was then?’
For the record, the U.S. death toll from the Coronavirus may soon pass the swine flu death toll. It’s already at almost 7,000.
Gallup just gave us the highest rating ever for the way we are handling the CoronaVirus situation. The April 2009-10 Swine Flu, where nearly 13,000 people died in the U.S., was poorly handled. Ask MSDNC & lightweight Washington failure @RonaldKlain, who the President was then? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 5, 2020


bipartisanreport--2020-04-03--Trump Launches Pompous Tweet Spree Amidst Panic

Amidst the Coronavirus pandemic , while authorities around the country are still struggling to secure crucial , lifesaving supplies like ventilators , President Donald Trump took to Twitter this Friday to tout a small business loan program that ’ s now in effect for businesses struggling amidst the current economic upheaval .
Businesses around the country have been forced to mostly or entirely close in the wake of social distancing demands , and the new loan program includes hundreds of billions of dollars in funds to help keep workers on the payroll amidst the turmoil — although some ten million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country for unemployment benefits in the last two weeks alone .
Trump seems to consistently miss the bigger picture .
Besides issuing an endorsement for Republican Judge Daniel Kelly in his bid to win an election to the state Supreme Court in Wisconsin and praising the greenlight for further construction work on the Keystone XL oil pipeline , Trump praised Bank of America this Friday in the wake of the company ’ s revelation that they ’ d received some 35,000 applications for loans through the new small business support program within hours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loan money , as the comment suggests , is getting handled by banks — and when Bank of America had already begun accepting loan applications , fellow big banks including JPMorgan Chase , Citigroup , and Wells Fargo had yet to do so , suggesting that yet again Trump is attempting to weigh in on private business matters with the leverage of the presidency .
Bank of America , it ’ s worth noting , has faced criticism for saying they ’ d prioritize loan applications from customers who already had a loan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t remotely cover all who may be in need .
Check out more from the president , who also thanked a slew of federal agencies for their Coronavirus response support , as if he has anything to do with it .

Amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, while authorities around the country are still struggling to secure crucial, lifesaving supplies like ventilators, President Donald Trump took to Twitter this Friday to tout a small business loan program that’s now in effect for businesses struggling amidst the current economic upheaval. Businesses around the country have been forced to mostly or entirely close in the wake of social distancing demands, and the new loan program includes hundreds of billions of dollars in funds to help keep workers on the payroll amidst the turmoil — although some ten million workers have already newly filed around the country for unemployment benefits in the last two weeks alone. Trump seems to consistently miss the bigger picture.
Besides issuing an endorsement for Republican Judge Daniel Kelly in his bid to win an election to the state Supreme Court in Wisconsin and praising the greenlight for further construction work on the Keystone XL oil pipeline, Trump praised Bank of America this Friday in the wake of the company’s revelation that they’d received some 35,000 applications for loans through the new small business support program within hours of the application window opening.
He tweeted:
‘Great job being done by @BankofAmerica and many community banks throughout the country. Small businesses appreciate your work!’
Great job being done by @BankofAmerica and many community banks throughout the country. Small businesses appreciate your work! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 3, 2020
The loan money, as the comment suggests, is getting handled by banks — and when Bank of America had already begun accepting loan applications, fellow big banks including JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo had yet to do so, suggesting that yet again Trump is attempting to weigh in on private business matters with the leverage of the presidency. Bank of America, it’s worth noting, has faced criticism for saying they’d prioritize loan applications from customers who already had a loan relationship with the bank, which doesn’t remotely cover all who may be in need.
Check out more from the president, who also thanked a slew of federal agencies for their Coronavirus response support, as if he has anything to do with it.
Thank you @USNationalGuard, keep up the great work! https://t.co/tzQb3eGDat — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 3, 2020
GREAT news this week regarding the Keystone XL Pipeline – moving forward with fantastic paying CONSTRUCTION jobs for hardworking Americans. Promises Made, Promises Kept! #MAGA — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 3, 2020
Highly respected Justice Daniel Kelly is running for the Supreme Court in the Great State of Wisconsin. Justice Kelly has been doing a terrific job upholding the Rule of Law and defending your #2A. Tough on Crime, Loves our Military and our Vets. He has my Complete Endorsement! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 3, 2020
Check out Twitter’s response below…


bipartisanreport--2020-04-03--Trump Outed For Ending Program To Track Pandemics

Around two months before the Coronavirus first began to emerge , the Trump administration ended a program launched by U.S. Agency for International Development ( USAID ) back in 2009 that was meant to support scientists around the world in the identification of potential pandemic viruses .
Apparently , the defunct program called “ Predict ” even supported scientists in the very Chinese lab that eventually detected the Coronavirus pathogen that has spread around the world , adding a wrinkle to the Trump administration ’ s consistent claims that they have supposedly valiantly fought against the virus this whole time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ places like China .
Peter Daszak , who works as president of EcoHealth Alliance , an organization that had been involved in the program , commented , in reference to the project name “ Predict ” : This defunct program that could have assisted foreign scientists in studying the Coronavirus before the outbreak took over the world is not alone among crucial public health support programs that the Trump administration slashed .
In the name of streamlining operations , the Trump team also eliminated a pandemic response team on the National Security Council @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) that worked directly with scientists in China on issues like detecting and controlling infectious disease outbreaks .
Any one of these figures having been in place when the Coronavirus emerged could have helped clamp down on the virus before the present calamity .
And that usefulness of global support seems proven by new policy moves .
U.S. authorities unveiled a $ 2.26 million grant package just this week designed to support scientists around the world in the handling of the Coronavirus outbreak .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ supposed to do that , which sported funding of $ 200 million , former USAID scientist Dennis Carroll said that the program “ essentially collapsed into hibernation.
” There ’ s already been talk of work to investigate planning and response failures in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak .
He soon unveiled the bill , commenting just this Friday : Trump has already angrily responded to the idea of oversight , ranting that Congress ’ s work constitutes “ a witch hunt after witch hunt after witch hunt.
” In reality , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dying in the wake of the Trump administration ’ s “ deadly ” floundering , as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) put it .

Around two months before the Coronavirus first began to emerge, the Trump administration ended a program launched by U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) back in 2009 that was meant to support scientists around the world in the identification of potential pandemic viruses. Apparently, the defunct program called “Predict” even supported scientists in the very Chinese lab that eventually detected the Coronavirus pathogen that has spread around the world, adding a wrinkle to the Trump administration’s consistent claims that they have supposedly valiantly fought against the virus this whole time and only been foiled by issues in places like China.
Peter Daszak, who works as president of EcoHealth Alliance, an organization that had been involved in the program, commented, in reference to the project name “Predict”:
‘Look at the name: Our efforts were to predict this before it happens. That’s the part of the program that was exciting — and that’s the part I’m worried about.’
This defunct program that could have assisted foreign scientists in studying the Coronavirus before the outbreak took over the world is not alone among crucial public health support programs that the Trump administration slashed. In the name of streamlining operations, the Trump team also eliminated a pandemic response team on the National Security Council, and they eliminated a position at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that worked directly with scientists in China on issues like detecting and controlling infectious disease outbreaks. Any one of these figures having been in place when the Coronavirus emerged could have helped clamp down on the virus before the present calamity.
Trump eliminated the White House Global Pandemic Response team He ended a coronavirus early-warning program working with labs in Wuhan, China He cut a key CDC position in Beijing focused on detecting disease outbreaks Now he's firing Captain Crozier for sounding the alarm https://t.co/kByVvvPPP7 — Zac Petkanas (@Zac_Petkanas) April 3, 2020
And that usefulness of global support seems proven by new policy moves. U.S. authorities unveiled a $2.26 million grant package just this week designed to support scientists around the world in the handling of the Coronavirus outbreak. As for the program that was already supposed to do that, which sported funding of $200 million, former USAID scientist Dennis Carroll said that the program “essentially collapsed into hibernation.”
In the summer of 2019, the Trump WH eliminated a “key public health position in Beijing intended to help detect disease outbreaks in China.” That job? Providing real-time info to US officials at the outset of a pandemic.https://t.co/9IEFZ8TWzT — Jeff Nesbit (@jeffnesbit) April 1, 2020
There’s already been talk of work to investigate planning and response failures in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak.
As House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) put it:
‘We’re in the eye of the storm now, but we will get through this. And when we do, we’ll need to review our Coronavirus response in a nonpartisan fashion to ensure we’re better prepared for the next pandemic. I’m working on a bill to establish a 9/11-style commission to do so.’
We're in the eye of the storm now, but we will get through this. And when we do, we'll need to review our Coronavirus response in a nonpartisan fashion to ensure we're better prepared for the next pandemic. I'm working on a bill to establish a 9/11-style commission to do so: pic.twitter.com/2CvokGyX8Y — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) April 2, 2020
He soon unveiled the bill, commenting just this Friday:
‘It’s not too early to conclude a bipartisan after-action review of this crisis will be necessary. To assess what went wrong, what went right, and protect us in the future. The American people deserve no less. I’m circulating a bill to accomplish this’
It's not too early to conclude a bipartisan after-action review of this crisis will be necessary. To assess what went wrong, what went right, and protect us in the future. The American people deserve no less. I'm circulating a bill to accomplish this: https://t.co/mJddc3ilva pic.twitter.com/I7WI7tV6u1 — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) April 3, 2020
Trump has already angrily responded to the idea of oversight, ranting that Congress’s work constitutes “a witch hunt after witch hunt after witch hunt.” In reality, Americans are right now getting ill and dying in the wake of the Trump administration’s “deadly” floundering, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) put it.
"It''s a witch hunt after witch hunt after witch hunt" — Trump is now using the coronavirus briefing to whine about oversight of his administration pic.twitter.com/naKxCaje1h — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 2, 2020


bipartisanreport--2020-04-03--Fox News Hit With Lawsuit For Fake COVID-19 Info

Fox News has faced steep criticism for peddling potentially dangerous misinformation about the Coronavirus pandemic .
Repeatedly , hosts lambasted concern over the virus as a “ hoax ” and a “ scam , ” even as American cases and deaths accumulated .
They simply refused , it seems , to even see a global health emergency through any lens other than protecting the public image of President Donald Trump at all costs .
Now , a Washington state group called the Washington League for Increased Transparency and Ethics , or WASHLITE , has sued the network over their misinformation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line with the provisions of the state ’ s Consumer Protection Act because of the network ’ s past of “ falsely and deceptively disseminating ‘ News ’ via cable news contracts that the coronavirus was a ‘ hoax , ’ and that it was otherwise not a danger to public health and safety.
” The group behind the new lawsuit wants an injunction to keep the network from “ interfering with reasonable and necessary measures to contain the virus by publishing further false and deceptive content.
” The group ’ s leader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his own organization have “ run into people who still believe earlier Fox News reports that the pandemic was a hoax , ” and that could obviously pose grave problems for attempts at convincing people to abide by public health guidelines meant to help stem the virus ’ s spread .
West commented to the Times of San Diego : ‘ That ’ s the real evil of this type of programming .
We believe it delayed and interfered with a prompt and adequate response to this coronavirus pandemic within the state of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where you are endangering the community — that transcends the limits of the First Amendment.
’ Washington was one of the first states in the country to suffer major impacts from the Coronavirus , although it ’ s spread well on from there .
The New York City outbreak alone has reached the point that the city ’ s mayor , Bill de Blasio , said this week that the city ’ s ventilator supply may only last for a few days more .
President Trump — peddling the same kind of disinformation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authorities like de Blasio really need the amount of support that they ’ ve been requesting .
There ’ s no evidence to back up Trump ’ s suggestion to that effect .
Fox News has actually already acted in apparent concern about potential legal vulnerability from reckless Coronavirus-related programming .
After Fox Business host Trish Regan ranted about the “ Coronavirus impeachment scam ” during a broadcast — basically nothing more than a hodgepodge of fearmongering words slapped together , suggesting some grand conspiracy against the president — the network said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the Washington case , the plantiffs are apparently looking forward to the case ’ s discovery period , in which they hope to unearth when , internally , the network may have begun taking the situation seriously in conjunction with hosts remaining on the air and spouting nonsense .
It ’ s worth noting — much of Fox ’ s misinformation can be traced back to the president .
At a rally in South Carolina at the end of February , he himself claimed that virus concern was a hoax , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used to prepare .

Fox News has faced steep criticism for peddling potentially dangerous misinformation about the Coronavirus pandemic. Repeatedly, hosts lambasted concern over the virus as a “hoax” and a “scam,” even as American cases and deaths accumulated. They simply refused, it seems, to even see a global health emergency through any lens other than protecting the public image of President Donald Trump at all costs. Now, a Washington state group called the Washington League for Increased Transparency and Ethics, or WASHLITE, has sued the network over their misinformation.
They’re seeking relief in line with the provisions of the state’s Consumer Protection Act because of the network’s past of “falsely and deceptively disseminating ‘News’ via cable news contracts that the coronavirus was a ‘hoax,’ and that it was otherwise not a danger to public health and safety.” The group behind the new lawsuit wants an injunction to keep the network from “interfering with reasonable and necessary measures to contain the virus by publishing further false and deceptive content.” The group’s leader Arthur West has shared that members of his own organization have “run into people who still believe earlier Fox News reports that the pandemic was a hoax,” and that could obviously pose grave problems for attempts at convincing people to abide by public health guidelines meant to help stem the virus’s spread.
West commented to the Times of San Diego:
‘That’s the real evil of this type of programming. We believe it delayed and interfered with a prompt and adequate response to this coronavirus pandemic within the state of Washington… when you get to the point where you are endangering the community — that transcends the limits of the First Amendment.’
Washington was one of the first states in the country to suffer major impacts from the Coronavirus, although it’s spread well on from there. The New York City outbreak alone has reached the point that the city’s mayor, Bill de Blasio, said this week that the city’s ventilator supply may only last for a few days more.
President Trump — peddling the same kind of disinformation as Fox — has publicly questioned whether authorities like de Blasio really need the amount of support that they’ve been requesting. There’s no evidence to back up Trump’s suggestion to that effect.
Fox News has actually already acted in apparent concern about potential legal vulnerability from reckless Coronavirus-related programming. After Fox Business host Trish Regan ranted about the “Coronavirus impeachment scam” during a broadcast — basically nothing more than a hodgepodge of fearmongering words slapped together, suggesting some grand conspiracy against the president — the network said that they “parted ways” with her. In the Washington case, the plantiffs are apparently looking forward to the case’s discovery period, in which they hope to unearth when, internally, the network may have begun taking the situation seriously in conjunction with hosts remaining on the air and spouting nonsense.
It’s worth noting — much of Fox’s misinformation can be traced back to the president. At a rally in South Carolina at the end of February, he himself claimed that virus concern was a hoax, wasting valuable time that he could have used to prepare.


bipartisanreport--2020-04-03--Rubio Shamed LIVE On-Air For COVID Endangerment

The state of Florida , as led by a Trump-allied Republican Governor , waited weeks to issue a statewide stay-at-home order , even as confirmed Coronavirus cases climbed into the thousands and put the state among the most hard-hit in the country .
Over 4,500 cases have already been confirmed in Miami-Dade and Broward counties alone .
This week on MSNBC , Florida ’ s Republican Senator Marco Rubio attempted to defend DeSantis ’ s delay with completely disingenuous remarks that Florida was supposedly fine before the governor ’ s statewide stay-at-home order , and host Stephanie Ruhle called out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Rubio tried to claim that the state had essentially been under a stay-at-home order already because of a patchwork of local orders to that effect dished out around the state .
However , there were big holes in that patchwork — anyone in one county where the virus was free to spread because life was proceeding as normal could head over to the supposedly so well protected areas .
Ruhle pointed out the “ pictures of partiers on beaches jamming on it ” in Florida that have circulated recently in the wake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that was two or three weeks ago .
Those are not recent images and all of the counties that those videos reflect have issued orders and closed beaches or the cities themselves .
What I ’ m trying to say is just because you didn ’ t have a stay-at-home order doesn ’ t mean people weren ’ t staying at home .
There were orders in virtually all the large metropolitan counties and virtually all of southeast Florida had these orders.
’ He also rattled off areas including Tampa Bay and central @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demands .
‘ That said , I think the governor made the right decision to implement that statewide because it creates a level of uniformity and — but the governor has — his preference is to defer to the local level… That ’ s always the preference , right ?
Local officials are on the front lines , and you want to provide them with resources , but you also want to provide them with the opportunity to decide what to do at the local level.
’ Local officials can ’ t magically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they need .
Struggling authorities don ’ t need vague ideology .
They need help .
Asked directly if he supports DeSantis ’ s actions , Rubio deferred .
He said that eventually , we ’ ll have “ plenty of time to look back and see all the mistakes that were made , all the errors that were made at every level , starting at the CDC , maybe Congressional oversight , maybe we should have started on the relief bill a week earlier in Congress .
Right now , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We have to focus on the emergency at hand right now.
” His idea that those concerned with getting to the bottom of inaction are heading off on some wild goose chase is ludicrous .
Right now , Americans are getting sick and dying who could have potentially been saved if foot-dragging Republicans around the country had picked up the pace of their virus response .
Right now , the problem is at hand .

The state of Florida, as led by a Trump-allied Republican Governor, waited weeks to issue a statewide stay-at-home order, even as confirmed Coronavirus cases climbed into the thousands and put the state among the most hard-hit in the country. Over 4,500 cases have already been confirmed in Miami-Dade and Broward counties alone. This week on MSNBC, Florida’s Republican Senator Marco Rubio attempted to defend DeSantis’s delay with completely disingenuous remarks that Florida was supposedly fine before the governor’s statewide stay-at-home order, and host Stephanie Ruhle called out his potentially life-threatening nonsense to his face.
Rubio tried to claim that the state had essentially been under a stay-at-home order already because of a patchwork of local orders to that effect dished out around the state. However, there were big holes in that patchwork — anyone in one county where the virus was free to spread because life was proceeding as normal could head over to the supposedly so well protected areas. Ruhle pointed out the “pictures of partiers on beaches jamming on it” in Florida that have circulated recently in the wake of spring break.
Rubio claimed:
‘Yeah, that was two or three weeks ago. Those are not recent images and all of the counties that those videos reflect have issued orders and closed beaches or the cities themselves. What I’m trying to say is just because you didn’t have a stay-at-home order doesn’t mean people weren’t staying at home. There were orders in virtually all the large metropolitan counties and virtually all of southeast Florida had these orders.’
He also rattled off areas including Tampa Bay and central Florida that issued various forms of stay-at-home demands.
Thus, Rubio concluded:
‘That said, I think the governor made the right decision to implement that statewide because it creates a level of uniformity and — but the governor has — his preference is to defer to the local level… That’s always the preference, right? Local officials are on the front lines, and you want to provide them with resources, but you also want to provide them with the opportunity to decide what to do at the local level.’
Watch below:
Local officials can’t magically wish the supplies and assistance into existence that they need. Struggling authorities don’t need vague ideology. They need help.
Asked directly if he supports DeSantis’s actions, Rubio deferred. He said that eventually, we’ll have “plenty of time to look back and see all the mistakes that were made, all the errors that were made at every level, starting at the CDC, maybe Congressional oversight, maybe we should have started on the relief bill a week earlier in Congress. Right now, we can’t stop to do that. We have to focus on the emergency at hand right now.”
His idea that those concerned with getting to the bottom of inaction are heading off on some wild goose chase is ludicrous. Right now, Americans are getting sick and dying who could have potentially been saved if foot-dragging Republicans around the country had picked up the pace of their virus response. Right now, the problem is at hand.


bipartisanreport--2020-04-03--GOP Senator Demands Probe Into Ventilator Management

Demand for lifesaving medical equipment has gradually been growing across the country amidst the steadily spreading Coronavirus pandemic , but the Trump administration has repeatedly failed to help struggling localities meet their needs .
At a press conference this week , Trump son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner complained that states wanted assistance from the Strategic National Stockpile at all .
Now , a letter has emerged that Colorado Senator Cory Gardner , a Republican , sent to the inspector general overseeing the Department of Health and Human Services , insisting upon an investigation into reported mismanagement of national ventilator reserves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Friday that his city could run out of ventilators by Monday or Tuesday , and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo indicated that the state as a whole only had enough ventilators to last until a couple of days beyond that point , if that .
Trump has responded by at times suggesting that local authorities are lying about how many supplies that they actually need .
Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency ( FEMA ) recently told a House panel that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ventilators on hand , and according to the officials and publicly available projections , demand for ventilators will soon fly past what ’ s actually on hand .
Most of the some 100,000 ventilators that Trump has promised the U.S. will soon procure reportedly won ’ t be available until at least June — long after they ’ re needed .
If Trump and those around him had taken the Coronavirus situation seriously earlier than they did , preparations could have been underway to keep this potentially life-threatening delay from ever unfolding .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ thousands of the ventilators that the federal government does have available for distribution aren ’ t even in working order , because — under the Trump administration ’ s watch — the contract with the company that had been assigned to maintain the devices expired .
A contract was only renewed in January of this year .
Gardner , among other specifics , wants information about the reported ventilator maintenance contract debacle .
The Senator wants a conclusion as to whether the U.S. has suffered “ mismanagement that led to a shortage of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or equipment.
” That mismanagement would likely fall on the Trump administration — although astonishingly , Trump has already repeatedly blamed Barack Obama for Coronavirus response debacles , which have unfolded three years after he left office .
Gardner ’ s call for an investigation actually mirrors talk from Congressional Democrats , which Trump has , of course , already complained about .
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff ( D-Calif. ) said that he wants to see a “ 9/11 style commission ” to investigate incompetence .

Demand for lifesaving medical equipment has gradually been growing across the country amidst the steadily spreading Coronavirus pandemic, but the Trump administration has repeatedly failed to help struggling localities meet their needs. At a press conference this week, Trump son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner complained that states wanted assistance from the Strategic National Stockpile at all. Now, a letter has emerged that Colorado Senator Cory Gardner, a Republican, sent to the inspector general overseeing the Department of Health and Human Services, insisting upon an investigation into reported mismanagement of national ventilator reserves.
Dear Jared Kushner of the @realDonaldTrump Administration: We are the UNITED STATES of America. The federal stockpile is reserved for all Americans living in our states, not just federal employees. Get it? https://t.co/VB4Z2YGp4J — Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) April 3, 2020
Gardner insisted:
‘Troubling reports indicate that potential contracting delays and maintenance failures are contributing to a low supply of operational ventilators during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic at a time when our country desperately needs them.’
“Our stockpile” as in Trump stockpile. That’s why Trump keeps saying govs should call the WH for help and is bypassing FEMA. It isn’t that Kushner is idiot. It’s that he, like Trump, views all policies as mere transactions, even if with desperate govs trying to save Americans. https://t.co/LEMFO0ZSJK — Juliette Kayyem (@juliettekayyem) April 3, 2020
Need is, indeed, very high — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Friday that his city could run out of ventilators by Monday or Tuesday, and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo indicated that the state as a whole only had enough ventilators to last until a couple of days beyond that point, if that. Trump has responded by at times suggesting that local authorities are lying about how many supplies that they actually need.
Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently told a House panel that the federal government has fewer than 10,000 ventilators on hand, and according to the officials and publicly available projections, demand for ventilators will soon fly past what’s actually on hand. Most of the some 100,000 ventilators that Trump has promised the U.S. will soon procure reportedly won’t be available until at least June — long after they’re needed. If Trump and those around him had taken the Coronavirus situation seriously earlier than they did, preparations could have been underway to keep this potentially life-threatening delay from ever unfolding.
According to The New York Times, thousands of the ventilators that the federal government does have available for distribution aren’t even in working order, because — under the Trump administration’s watch — the contract with the company that had been assigned to maintain the devices expired. A contract was only renewed in January of this year. Gardner, among other specifics, wants information about the reported ventilator maintenance contract debacle. The Senator wants a conclusion as to whether the U.S. has suffered “mismanagement that led to a shortage of working ventilators or other critical medical supplies or equipment.” That mismanagement would likely fall on the Trump administration — although astonishingly, Trump has already repeatedly blamed Barack Obama for Coronavirus response debacles, which have unfolded three years after he left office.
Gardner’s call for an investigation actually mirrors talk from Congressional Democrats, which Trump has, of course, already complained about. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said that he wants to see a “9/11 style commission” to investigate incompetence.
As Schiff put it:
‘First, Trump says he alone will do the oversight on billions in relief money. Then, he says he’ll ignore the transparency provisions required by Congress. Now, he says any oversight is a “witch hunt.” But here’s the truth: Real oversight is vital, because incompetence kills.’
First, Trump says he alone will do the oversight on billions in relief money. Then, he says he’ll ignore the transparency provisions required by Congress. Now, he says any oversight is a “witch hunt.” But here’s the truth: Real oversight is vital, because incompetence kills. https://t.co/sSC4RiN0tk — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) April 2, 2020