crooksandliars--2020-03-25--The Deadly Polio Epidemic And Why It Matters For Coronavirus

The fear and uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic may feel new to many of us .
But it is strangely familiar to those who lived through the polio epidemic of the last century .
Like a horror movie , throughout the first half of the 20th century , the polio virus arrived each summer , striking without warning .
No one knew how polio was transmitted or what caused it .
There were wild theories that the virus spread from imported bananas or stray cats .
There was no known cure or vaccine .
For the next four decades , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ polio season for fear of this invisible enemy .
Parents stopped sending their children to playgrounds or birthday parties for fear they would “ catch polio.
” In the outbreak of 1916 , health workers in New York City would physically remove children from their homes or playgrounds if they suspected they might be infected .
Kids , who seemed to be targeted by the disease , were taken from their families and isolated in sanitariums .
In 1952 , the number of polio cases in the U.S. peaked at 57,879 , resulting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this highly infectious disease could end up with some form of paralysis , forcing them to use crutches , wheelchairs or to be put into an iron lung , a large tank respirator that would pull air in and out of the lungs , allowing them to breathe .
Ultimately , poliomyelitis was conquered in 1955 by a vaccine developed by Jonas Salk and his team at the University of Pittsburgh .
In conjunction with the 50th anniversary celebration of the polio vaccine , I produced a documentary , “ The Shot Felt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told the stories of the many people who worked alongside Salk in the lab and participated in vaccine trials .
As a filmmaker and senior lecturer at the University of Pittsburgh , I believe these stories provide hope in the fight to combat another unseen enemy , coronavirus .
Before a vaccine was available , polio caused more than 15,000 cases of paralysis a year in the U.S .
It was the most feared disease of the 20th century .
With the success of the polio vaccine , Jonas Salk , 39 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the world .
He refused a patent for his work , saying the vaccine belonged to the people and that to patent it would be like “ patenting the Sun.
” Leading drug manufacturers made the vaccine available , and more than 400 million doses were distributed between 1955 and 1962 , reducing the cases of polio by 90 % .
By the end of the century , the polio scare had become a faint memory .
Developing the vaccine was a collective effort , from national leadership by President Franklin Roosevelt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lab and the volunteers who rolled up their sleeves to be experimentally inoculated .
Sidney Busis , a young physician at the time , performed tracheotomies on two-year-old children , making an incision in their necks and enclosing them in iron lung to artificially sustain their breathing .
His wife Sylvia was terrified that he would transmit polio to their two young sons when he came home at night .
In the Salk lab , a graduate student , Ethyl “ Mickey ” Bailey , pipetted by mouth – pulling liquid up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as part of the research process .
My own neighbor , Martha Hunter , was in grade school when her parents volunteered her for “ the shot , ” the experimental Salk vaccine that no one knew if it would work .
President Roosevelt , who kept his own paralysis from polio hidden from the public , organized the nonprofit National Institute of Infant Paralysis , later known as the March of Dimes .
He encouraged every American to send dimes to the White House to support treating polio victims and researching a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changed American philanthropy , which had been largely the domain of the wealthy .
That was a time , said Salk ’ s oldest son , Dr. Peter Salk , in an interview for our film , when the public trusted the medical community and believed in each other .
I believe that ’ s an idea we need to resurrect today .
What it took to end polio Jonas Salk was 33 when he began his medical research in a basement lab at the University of Pittsburgh .
He had wanted to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , an area where research funding was more available .
Three floors above his lab was a polio ward filled to capacity with adults and children in iron lungs and rocking beds to help them breathe .
There were many false leads and dead ends in pursuing remedies .
Even President Roosevelt traveled to Warm Springs , Georgia , believing that the water there might have curative effects .
While most in the scientific community believed that a live polio virus vaccine was the answer , Salk went against medical orthodoxy .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it first on cells in the lab , then monkeys and , next , young people who already had polio .
There were no guarantees this would work .
Ten years earlier , a different polio vaccine had inadvertently given kids polio , killing nine of them .
In 1953 , Salk was given permission to test the vaccine on healthy children and began with his three sons , followed by a vaccination pilot study of 7,500 children in local Pittsburgh schools .
While the results were positive , the vaccine still needed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approval .
In 1954 , the March of Dimes organized a national field trial of 1.8 million schoolchildren , the largest medical study in history .
The data was processed and on April 12 , 1955 , six years from when Salk began his research , the Salk polio vaccine was declared “ safe and effective.
” Church bells rang and newspapers across the world claimed “ Victory Over Polio.
” In adapting our documentary for broadcast on the Smithsonian Channel , we interviewed Bill Gates , who explained why the Bill and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worldwide a top priority .
Vaccines , he said , have saved millions of lives .
He joined the World Health Organization , UNICEF , Rotary International and others to help finish the job started by the Salk vaccine , eradicating polio in the world .
This accomplishment will free up resources that will no longer have to be spent on the disease .
Up until now , smallpox is the only infectious disease we have ever eliminated .
But the global infrastructure that the polio eradication effort has put in place is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , such as Ebola , malaria and now coronavirus .
On Feb. 5 , 2020 , the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced it would provide US $ 100 million to improve detection , isolation and treatment efforts and accelerate the development of a vaccine for the coronavirus .
These are frightening times as the coronavirus spreads in ways reminiscent of poliomyelitis .
It ’ s instructive to remember what it took to nearly eradicate polio and a reminder of what we can do when faced with a common enemy .
On Oct. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , WHO announced there were only 94 cases of wild polio in the world .
The success of the polio vaccine launched a series of vaccines that negated many of the effects of infectious disease for the second half of the 20th century .
At the end of our film , Salk ’ s youngest son , Dr. Jonathan Salk , recounted how his father wondered every day why we couldn ’ t apply the spirit of what happened with the development of the polio vaccine to other problems , such as disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perhaps the citizens and governments of the world will rise to the occasion and demonstrate what is possible when we work together .
[ Get facts about coronavirus and the latest research .
Sign up for our newsletter . ]
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license .
Read the original article .

Carl Kurlander, University of Pittsburgh
The fear and uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic may feel new to many of us. But it is strangely familiar to those who lived through the polio epidemic of the last century.
Like a horror movie, throughout the first half of the 20th century, the polio virus arrived each summer, striking without warning. No one knew how polio was transmitted or what caused it. There were wild theories that the virus spread from imported bananas or stray cats. There was no known cure or vaccine.
For the next four decades, swimming pools and movie theaters closed during polio season
for fear of this invisible enemy. Parents stopped sending their children to playgrounds or birthday parties for fear they would “catch polio.”
In the outbreak of 1916, health workers in New York City would physically remove children from their homes or playgrounds if they suspected they might be infected. Kids, who seemed to be targeted by the disease, were taken from their families and isolated in sanitariums.
In 1952, the number of polio cases in the U.S. peaked at 57,879, resulting in 3,145 deaths. Those who survived this highly infectious disease could end up with some form of paralysis, forcing them to use crutches, wheelchairs or to be put into an iron lung, a large tank respirator that would pull air in and out of the lungs, allowing them to breathe.
Ultimately, poliomyelitis was conquered in 1955 by a vaccine developed by Jonas Salk and his team at the University of Pittsburgh.
In conjunction with the 50th anniversary celebration of the polio vaccine, I produced a documentary, “The Shot Felt ‘Round the World,” that told the stories of the many people who worked alongside Salk in the lab and participated in vaccine trials. As a filmmaker and senior lecturer at the University of Pittsburgh, I believe these stories provide hope in the fight to combat another unseen enemy, coronavirus.
Pulling together as a nation
Before a vaccine was available, polio caused more than 15,000 cases of paralysis a year in the U.S. It was the most feared disease of the 20th century. With the success of the polio vaccine, Jonas Salk, 39, became one of the most celebrated scientists in the world.
He refused a patent for his work, saying the vaccine belonged to the people and that to patent it would be like “patenting the Sun.” Leading drug manufacturers made the vaccine available, and more than 400 million doses were distributed between 1955 and 1962, reducing the cases of polio by 90%. By the end of the century, the polio scare had become a faint memory.
Bettman Collection via Getty Images
Developing the vaccine was a collective effort, from national leadership by President Franklin Roosevelt to those who worked alongside Salk in the lab and the volunteers who rolled up their sleeves to be experimentally inoculated.
Sidney Busis, a young physician at the time, performed tracheotomies on two-year-old children, making an incision in their necks and enclosing them in iron lung to artificially sustain their breathing. His wife Sylvia was terrified that he would transmit polio to their two young sons when he came home at night.
In the Salk lab, a graduate student, Ethyl “Mickey” Bailey, pipetted by mouth – pulling liquid up thin glass tubes – live polio virus as part of the research process.
My own neighbor, Martha Hunter, was in grade school when her parents volunteered her for “the shot,” the experimental Salk vaccine that no one knew if it would work.
President Roosevelt, who kept his own paralysis from polio hidden from the public, organized the nonprofit National Institute of Infant Paralysis, later known as the March of Dimes. He encouraged every American to send dimes to the White House to support treating polio victims and researching a cure. In the process, he changed American philanthropy, which had been largely the domain of the wealthy.
Everett Historical/Shutterstock.com
That was a time, said Salk’s oldest son, Dr. Peter Salk, in an interview for our film, when the public trusted the medical community and believed in each other. I believe that’s an idea we need to resurrect today.
What it took to end polio
Jonas Salk was 33 when he began his medical research in a basement lab at the University of Pittsburgh. He had wanted to work on influenza but switched to polio, an area where research funding was more available. Three floors above his lab was a polio ward filled to capacity with adults and children in iron lungs and rocking beds to help them breathe.
There were many false leads and dead ends in pursuing remedies. Even President Roosevelt traveled to Warm Springs, Georgia, believing that the water there might have curative effects. While most in the scientific community believed that a live polio virus vaccine was the answer, Salk went against medical orthodoxy.
He pursued a killed virus vaccine, trying it first on cells in the lab, then monkeys and, next, young people who already had polio. There were no guarantees this would work. Ten years earlier, a different polio vaccine had inadvertently given kids polio, killing nine of them.
In 1953, Salk was given permission to test the vaccine on healthy children and began with his three sons, followed by a vaccination pilot study of 7,500 children in local Pittsburgh schools. While the results were positive, the vaccine still needed to be tested more widely to gain approval.
In 1954, the March of Dimes organized a national field trial of 1.8 million schoolchildren, the largest medical study in history. The data was processed and on April 12, 1955, six years from when Salk began his research, the Salk polio vaccine was declared “safe and effective.” Church bells rang and newspapers across the world claimed “Victory Over Polio.”
Vaccinations and global health security
In adapting our documentary for broadcast on the Smithsonian Channel, we interviewed Bill Gates, who explained why the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had made eradicating polio worldwide a top priority.
Vaccines, he said, have saved millions of lives. He joined the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Rotary International and others to help finish the job started by the Salk vaccine, eradicating polio in the world. This accomplishment will free up resources that will no longer have to be spent on the disease.
AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary
Up until now, smallpox is the only infectious disease we have ever eliminated. But the global infrastructure that the polio eradication effort has put in place is helping to fight other infectious diseases also, such as Ebola, malaria and now coronavirus. On Feb. 5, 2020, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced it would provide US$100 million to improve detection, isolation and treatment efforts and accelerate the development of a vaccine for the coronavirus.
These are frightening times as the coronavirus spreads in ways reminiscent of poliomyelitis. It’s instructive to remember what it took to nearly eradicate polio and a reminder of what we can do when faced with a common enemy. On Oct. 24, 2019, World Polio Day, WHO announced there were only 94 cases of wild polio in the world. The success of the polio vaccine launched a series of vaccines that negated many of the effects of infectious disease for the second half of the 20th century.
At the end of our film, Salk’s youngest son, Dr. Jonathan Salk, recounted how his father wondered every day why we couldn’t apply the spirit of what happened with the development of the polio vaccine to other problems, such as disease or poverty. In fighting coronavirus, perhaps the citizens and governments of the world will rise to the occasion and demonstrate what is possible when we work together.
[Get facts about coronavirus and the latest research. Sign up for our newsletter.]
Carl Kurlander, Senior Lecturer, University of Pittsburgh
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


crooksandliars--2020-03-25--Brit Hume And Tucker Carlson Discuss Who Should Live And Who Should Die

Tucker Carlson asked Brit Hume what he thought about Dan Patrick 's suggestion that we reopen businesses and shrug off the risk to older people to save the economy .
`` Well , I think he 's essentially saying something that 's not terribly different from what the president and Governor Cuomo have been saying .
Which is that this , what we 're living in now , this circumstance as we try to beat this virus , is not sustainable .
That the utter collapse of the country 's economy , which many think will happen if this goes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ result , '' Hume said .
`` And that , he is saying , for his own part , that he 'd be willing to take a risk of getting the disease if that 's what it took to allow the economy to move forward .
And he said that because he 's late in life , you know , that he would be perhaps more willing then he might 've been at a younger age .
Which seems to me to be an entirely reasonable viewpoint . ''
Hume continued , `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people think that , you know , as your previous guest just suggested , that , you know , any kind of risk with anybody 's life is intolerable .
And I think , you know , we live with the risk of , you know , seasonal influenza every year and thousands upon thousands die from it .
But we do not , as has been pointed out , shut down the economy to combat it . ''
`` Now look , the mortality rate from this is higher enough that it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obviously a much more , a special kind of case .
But there we are .
You know , we do n't shut down the economy to save every single life that 's threatened by a wide-spread disease .
We just do n't . ''
Republicans really are a death cult .
That 's why they worship war , and why they do n't care about the people who are already born .
Just a reminder !

Tucker Carlson asked Brit Hume what he thought about Dan Patrick's suggestion that we reopen businesses and shrug off the risk to older people to save the economy.
"Well, I think he's essentially saying something that's not terribly different from what the president and Governor Cuomo have been saying. Which is that this, what we're living in now, this circumstance as we try to beat this virus, is not sustainable. That the utter collapse of the country's economy, which many think will happen if this goes on much longer, is an intolerable result," Hume said.
"And that, he is saying, for his own part, that he'd be willing to take a risk of getting the disease if that's what it took to allow the economy to move forward. And he said that because he's late in life, you know, that he would be perhaps more willing then he might've been at a younger age. Which seems to me to be an entirely reasonable viewpoint."
(Sure! The same people who have made a religion of worshipping zygotes are very, very good at cognitive dissonance, so of course it's "an entirely reasonable viewpoint" to let seniors die!)
Hume continued, "Now, I guess a lot of people think that, you know, as your previous guest just suggested, that, you know, any kind of risk with anybody's life is intolerable. And I think, you know, we live with the risk of, you know, seasonal influenza every year and thousands upon thousands die from it. But we do not, as has been pointed out, shut down the economy to combat it."
(Because it's not a pandemic, and we have vaccines, idiot. But do go on.)
"Now look, the mortality rate from this is higher enough that it makes it alarming. So it's obviously a much more, a special kind of case. But there we are. You know, we don't shut down the economy to save every single life that's threatened by a wide-spread disease. We just don't."
Republicans really are a death cult. That's why they worship war, and why they don't care about the people who are already born. Just a reminder!


crooksandliars--2020-03-25--Frustrated Joe Biden: 'Why Doesn't He Just Act Like A President?'

In an interview with Nicolle Wallace yesterday , Joe Biden expresses his frustration with Trump 's refusal to implement the Defense Production Act .
`` If he is not going to use it , lend it to somebody else .
You 're a wartime president ?
Act like that .
We can not waste any more time , '' Biden said .
`` I laid out in detail a plan I thought we should be implementing a couple days ago and did n't get that much coverage , national coverage , but they tell me over , I think , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And so , I 'm learning how to deal with the vehicles that are available to get news out and get -- communicate with people , '' he said .
`` Think about this .
I am so -- this sounds corny .
I 'm so proud to be an American right now .
Look at the way the nation is responding , ordinary people reach out .
Look at the doctors and first responders .
I was talking to the firefighters .
These folks are risking their lives .
They 're not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discussion announcing saying we had to restore the soul of this country .
Stop appealing to prejudice and the like .
None of the folks , none of the docs are saying by the way , you 're black , white , Chinese , you 're this , you 're that .
They 're just doing it , '' he said .
As another example , he talked about how volunteers are contacting cancer patients who are alone and frightened .
`` I got a call from a guy who 's a great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for me .
Franny Parsons and his wife , has three beautiful young daughters .
I think the oldest is now 11 and they got a call from their kindergarten teacher , saying , ' I will be driving through the neighborhood .
Be in the driveway to wave and say hi to you and miss you .
She spent three hours to drive through the neighborhoods .
`` We have never , never , never failed to respond to a crisis as a people .
i 'm so darn proud and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anyway -- it 's just -- my heart goes out to them.
`` `` Tell me what you would do if you were president .
Obviously in November , people will have to make a choice about who leads this country .
What would you do that is n't being done ? ''
Wallace asked .
`` Well , if I were president now , in November , if I 'm elected , God willing , I may inherit a different circumstance .
Depends on how this is handled .
He talked about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in January warning that a pandemic was on the way .
`` We have to be better prepared .
We should have been in a position , I called for a while ago .
I would enforce the Defense Production Act .
I would be surging equipment and personnel .
I would be moving in a direction where we had the United States military which I called for several weeks ago building hospitals like finally happening in the National Guard helping in New York with , you know , at the Javitz Center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Most of all , I would be protecting our docs , nurses and first responders because if we lose them we are in real , real trouble .
We should be making those masks , moving on those ventilators .
We can do that .
Why does n't he just act like a president ? ''

In an interview with Nicolle Wallace yesterday, Joe Biden expresses his frustration with Trump's refusal to implement the Defense Production Act.
"If he is not going to use it, lend it to somebody else. You're a wartime president? Act like that. We cannot waste any more time," Biden said.
"I laid out in detail a plan I thought we should be implementing a couple days ago and didn't get that much coverage, national coverage, but they tell me over, I think, 3.5 million people watched it online. And so, I'm learning how to deal with the vehicles that are available to get news out and get -- communicate with people," he said.
"Think about this. I am so -- this sounds corny. I'm so proud to be an American right now. Look at the way the nation is responding, ordinary people reach out. Look at the doctors and first responders. I was talking to the firefighters. These folks are risking their lives. They're not -- i talked about we had a discussion announcing saying we had to restore the soul of this country. Stop appealing to prejudice and the like. None of the folks, none of the docs are saying by the way, you're black, white, Chinese, you're this, you're that. They're just doing it," he said.
As another example, he talked about how volunteers are contacting cancer patients who are alone and frightened.
"I got a call from a guy who's a great, great friend. Used to work for me. Franny Parsons and his wife, has three beautiful young daughters. I think the oldest is now 11 and they got a call from their kindergarten teacher, saying, 'I will be driving through the neighborhood. Be in the driveway to wave and say hi to you and miss you. She spent three hours to drive through the neighborhoods.
"We have never, never, never failed to respond to a crisis as a people. i'm so darn proud and the poor people who have -- lost -- anyway -- it's just -- my heart goes out to them. "
"Tell me what you would do if you were president. Obviously in November, people will have to make a choice about who leads this country. What would you do that isn't being done?" Wallace asked.
"Well, if I were president now, in November, if I'm elected, God willing, I may inherit a different circumstance. Depends on how this is handled.
He talked about writing a piece he wrote for USAToday in January warning that a pandemic was on the way.
"We have to be better prepared. We should have been in a position, I called for a while ago. I would enforce the Defense Production Act. I would be surging equipment and personnel. I would be moving in a direction where we had the United States military which I called for several weeks ago building hospitals like finally happening in the National Guard helping in New York with, you know, at the Javitz Center. We have this capacity.
"Most of all, I would be protecting our docs, nurses and first responders because if we lose them we are in real, real trouble. We should be making those masks, moving on those ventilators. We can do that. Why doesn't he just act like a president?"


crooksandliars--2020-03-25--Finally! Leaders Agree To Record Stimulus Bill That's Expected To Pass Today

Senate leaders and the White House have agreed to a $ 2 trillion stimulus package for the biggest economic package in U.S. history .
The Senate and the House are expected to vote on the final version today .
`` Well , you know , checks for millions of American families , you know .
And that 's one thing that will come out pretty quickly , once they figure out how to get those out the door .
They want to do that quickly , the treasury secretary said , so maybe in the next couple weeks , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also a whole bunch of money here for hospitals , for local communities who are going to need the money as this pandemic gets worse here .
So , you 've got hundreds of billions of dollars for companies , hundreds of billions of dollars for the health care system and hundreds of billions of dollars for American workers .
There 's also better jobless benefits , and this is something Democrats were really , really pushing for .
They know there will be millions of people out of work who are going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ longer period of time , John . ''
`` Talk to me about the jobless benefits , because that 's very interesting .
There 's different money coming in different ways here , and Democrats have argued that boosted unemployment benefits actually gets more money to more people in need more quickly.
`` `` Yeah .
And it 's not just a one-time check .
It 's a check that is a recurring check , so people have more stability for that .
And we know from research that jobless benefits tend to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy right away .
So , that 's $ 250 billion for that , so those will be bigger checks for people .
Because also , when you get jobless benefits , you do n't always get exactly the money that you made .
Also , they 're loosening some of the restrictions , so for people who were furloughed , for example , will be more easily able to get those checks than under prior rules , '' Romans said .
`` One of the holdups on this deal was oversight over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
What do we know about that oversight ? ''
`` There will be a panel , an inspector general , to make sure that it 's just not at the whim of the Treasury Department or the whim of politics to decide what companies will get bailouts , and that was really important here .
I mean , remember the last time we had a big bailout , which was half the size of this in 2008-2009 , there was so much anger about those bailouts that it actually spawned a whole @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that changed American politics , spending that kind of money , and the lack of oversight in spending some of that money .
`` So , there is oversight this time around so that 's not just a pot of money , a slush fund , Democrats were calling it .
The president said that he would have the ultimate oversight over that slush fund and that really made Democrats nervous .
Now there will be independent oversight of how that money is spent . ''
Here are details on the unemployment benefits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers can only qualify for benefits if they ’ re laid off through no fault of their own from a traditional payroll job , and the benefits would only replace a portion of their lost wages — typically about half , with benefits averaging $ 364 per week .
The new bill will add $ 600 per week to whatever a worker would normally receive if they ’ re laid off due to the coronavirus fallout , according to a Democratic aid familiar with the negotiations , which for many workers would amount @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be eligible even if they ’ re not in traditional jobs , if they work only part-time , or if they are self-employed .
Gig workers , independent contractors , and freelancers will also be eligible .
[ ... ] The new bill will add an extra 13 weeks of federally funded benefits for people who run out of the standard 26 weeks of state benefits .
( Some states , such as Florida , offer less .

Senate leaders and the White House have agreed to a $2 trillion stimulus package for the biggest economic package in U.S. history. The Senate and the House are expected to vote on the final version today.
John Berman asked CNN business correspondent Christine Romans for the details.
"Well, you know, checks for millions of American families, you know. And that's one thing that will come out pretty quickly, once they figure out how to get those out the door. They want to do that quickly, the treasury secretary said, so maybe in the next couple weeks," she said.
"But there's also a whole bunch of money here for hospitals, for local communities who are going to need the money as this pandemic gets worse here. So, you've got hundreds of billions of dollars for companies, hundreds of billions of dollars for the health care system and hundreds of billions of dollars for American workers. There's also better jobless benefits, and this is something Democrats were really, really pushing for. They know there will be millions of people out of work who are going to be needing bigger checks for a longer period of time, John."
"Talk to me about the jobless benefits, because that's very interesting. There's different money coming in different ways here, and Democrats have argued that boosted unemployment benefits actually gets more money to more people in need more quickly. "
"Yeah. And it's not just a one-time check. It's a check that is a recurring check, so people have more stability for that. And we know from research that jobless benefits tend to be things that go right into the economy right away. So, that's $250 billion for that, so those will be bigger checks for people. Because also, when you get jobless benefits, you don't always get exactly the money that you made. Also, they're loosening some of the restrictions, so for people who were furloughed, for example, will be more easily able to get those checks than under prior rules," Romans said.
"One of the holdups on this deal was oversight over the big chunk of money for corporations. What do we know about that oversight?"
"There will be a panel, an inspector general, to make sure that it's just not at the whim of the Treasury Department or the whim of politics to decide what companies will get bailouts, and that was really important here. I mean, remember the last time we had a big bailout, which was half the size of this in 2008-2009, there was so much anger about those bailouts that it actually spawned a whole Tea Party movement, remember? And that changed American politics, spending that kind of money, and the lack of oversight in spending some of that money.
"So, there is oversight this time around so that's not just a pot of money, a slush fund, Democrats were calling it. The president said that he would have the ultimate oversight over that slush fund and that really made Democrats nervous. Now there will be independent oversight of how that money is spent."
Here are details on the unemployment benefits, via Huffington Post:


crooksandliars--2020-03-25--McConnell's Toxic, Partisan Game Has Wasted 10 Days Of Critical Coronavirus Response Time

With Senate Democrats and the White House about to forge an agreement on a coronavirus package , it 's worth revisiting how Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has wasted 10 critical days of Senate time—in the middle of a pandemic—playing a toxic , partisan game .
Let ’ s start on March 14 , when the House passed the first coronavirus stimulus package .
The Senate was n't there to receive the bill , because McConnell had decided he 'd rather be in Kentucky , celebrating his achievement of getting an unqualified federal judge onto the bench , alongside unqualified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He ended up delaying the vote for several days , giving Republicans like Rep. Louie Gohmert time to force the House into making `` technical corrections '' on the bill , which actually ended up being a pare-back of the emergency leave provisions in it for American workers .
This was all on the supposition that some Senate Republicans wanted to vote against the bill and would n't pass it if that was n't fixed .
Finally goaded into action , McConnell put the bill on the floor on Wednesday , March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then announced he was unilaterally taking over the next phase of stimulus , shutting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democrats out of the process .
For the past five days , McConnell has been pursuing that fruitless plan , at one point actually soliciting Democratic input—which he then tossed .
He put a Republican bill on the floor and tried to bully Democrats into supporting it by claiming how `` urgent '' it was that the Senate act , bringing the vote over the weekend .
That failed last Sunday .
When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it failed again .
As he knew it would , because he had refused to make any of the Democrats ' necessary changes .
Then he had the gall to feign outrage , yelling , `` This body ca n't get its act together , and the only reason it ca n't get its act together is right over here on the other side of the aisle '' and actually claiming that Republicans and Democrats had negotiated `` furiously '' on this bill .
He left out the part that most of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats had been jettisoned from the final package—and that Pelosi had been entirely sidelined .
Precious time was lost in the past 10 days .
It ’ s time that McConnell spent trying to structure another massive corporate giveaway , with his no-strings-attached $ 500 billion slush fund , at the expense of the actual people of America .
Nothing Mitch McConnell has done in the past decade is going to make history look upon him kindly .
But what he 's done in the past 10 days will seal his place in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever .

With Senate Democrats and the White House about to forge an agreement on a coronavirus package, it's worth revisiting how Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has wasted 10 critical days of Senate time—in the middle of a pandemic—playing a toxic, partisan game.
Let’s start on March 14, when the House passed the first coronavirus stimulus package. The Senate wasn't there to receive the bill, because McConnell had decided he'd rather be in Kentucky, celebrating his achievement of getting an unqualified federal judge onto the bench, alongside unqualified and tainted Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
He ended up delaying the vote for several days, giving Republicans like Rep. Louie Gohmert time to force the House into making "technical corrections" on the bill, which actually ended up being a pare-back of the emergency leave provisions in it for American workers. This was all on the supposition that some Senate Republicans wanted to vote against the bill and wouldn't pass it if that wasn't fixed.
Finally goaded into action, McConnell put the bill on the floor on Wednesday, March 18, where it passed. McConnell then announced he was unilaterally taking over the next phase of stimulus, shutting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democrats out of the process.
For the past five days, McConnell has been pursuing that fruitless plan, at one point actually soliciting Democratic input—which he then tossed. He put a Republican bill on the floor and tried to bully Democrats into supporting it by claiming how "urgent" it was that the Senate act, bringing the vote over the weekend. That failed last Sunday. When he tried it again on Monday, it failed again. As he knew it would, because he had refused to make any of the Democrats' necessary changes.
Then he had the gall to feign outrage, yelling, "This body can't get its act together, and the only reason it can't get its act together is right over here on the other side of the aisle" and actually claiming that Republicans and Democrats had negotiated "furiously" on this bill. He left out the part that most of the furious negotiating on the part of the Democrats had been jettisoned from the final package—and that Pelosi had been entirely sidelined.
Precious time was lost in the past 10 days. It’s time that McConnell spent trying to structure another massive corporate giveaway, with his no-strings-attached $500 billion slush fund, at the expense of the actual people of America. Nothing Mitch McConnell has done in the past decade is going to make history look upon him kindly. But what he's done in the past 10 days will seal his place in history as the most destructive Senate leader ever.
Posted with permission from Daily Kos.


crooksandliars--2020-03-26--The Right Would Smear The Left Even If A Giant Meteor Was Headed Toward The U.S.

I think this is sensible : White House officials expressed growing alarm on Tuesday about the coronavirus outbreak in New York City , advising people who have passed through or left the city to place themselves in a 14-day quarantine ... .
About 60 percent of the new cases in the country were in the New York City metropolitan area ... .
Dr. Deborah L. Birx , the White House ’ s coronavirus response coordinator , and Dr. Anthony Fauci , the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , said they were very concerned about people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We are starting to see new cases across Long Island that suggest people have left the city , ” Dr. Birx said .
“ We can have a huge impact if we unite together.
” All of which might engender empathy in a normal human being .
Not our president , of course .
[ New York governor Andrew ] Cuomo said early Tuesday that a Federal Emergency Management Agency ( FEMA ) delivery of 400 ventilators to the country ’ s hardest-hit state was insufficient and that the state needed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ words : “ You want a pat on the back for sending 400 ventilators ?
What are we going to do with 400 ventilators when we need 30,000 ?
” He also more gently pleaded with Trump to begin using the Defense Production Act .
“ I don ’ t , for the life of me , understand the reluctance to use the federal Defense Production Act , '' he said .
Cuomo didn ’ t specifically refer to Trump in either case , though .
The former complaint seemed to get some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a Fox News virtual town hall that afternoon that 2,000 more were being shipped from the national stockpile to New York on Tuesday and 2,000 more would be sent on Wednesday .
But later in the town hall , Trump appeared .
And he apparently had Cuomo on his mind .
Early in his appearance , he referred to an allegation floating around on fringe websites that Cuomo had in 2015 turned down thousands of ventilators .
There was no pandemic taking place at that point , and the source was former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ R ) , who offered no apparent substantiation .
The report accused Cuomo of establishing “ death panels and lottery instead.
” Trump tried to hand a copy of the report to Fox News host Bill Hemmer , but Hemmer cited the need for social distancing .
“ I ’ m not blaming him or anything else , but he shouldn ’ t be talking about us , ” Trump said .
“ He ’ s supposed to be buying his own ventilators.
” Betsy McCaughey , of course , is a professional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's lied about the Clinton healthcare bill , lied about healthcare provisions in the 2009 Obama stimulus bill , and lied about Obamacare .
It 's what she does .
She was a major driver of the Obamacare `` death panels '' lie .
The source of her disinformation appears to be a state task force report on epidemic contingency planning that made no mention of an opportunity to purchase large numbers of ventilators .
But I want to talk about the larger issues here .
After a brief period in which he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rejecting denialism , Trump has reverted to boosterist talk , and now expresses the hope that the country will be running more or less normally as of Easter Sunday , April 12 .
Experts think this would be a disaster .
And , of course , it 's not just Trump -- much of the Republican Party suddenly pivoted , with time-honored GOP message discipline , to a posture of `` we ca n't let a few deaths slow the economy . ''
They 've all learned to say that continuing the lockdown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even though these same people think this is the greatest country in the history of the world ( how can a temporary crisis kill a great country ? )
, and what will bring about the end of the economic catastrophe is flattening the infection curve so the medical system can handle new infections better , until there are better treatments , and eventually a vaccine .
Josh Marshall has suggested where all this is leading : In America , this is still largely a crisis in metropolitan areas .
It will reach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most densely packed city in America , and it 's bad in other metro areas where there 's a great deal of incoming and outgoing travel .
( It 's no surprise that , after Mardi Gras , the situation in New Orleans is dire . )
Trump Nation does n't travel .
Trump Nation does n't live in cities .
The same Republican Party that cynically talked about `` the Chinese virus '' will soon start talking about `` the New York virus '' or `` the Cuomo virus . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the right will link its spread to `` socialism , '' immigration , `` diverse '' populations , and , probably , liberal attitudes on LGBT issues .
( It 's easy to imagine a Republican member of Congress railing against the coronavirus on Fox News while a clip of a crowded gay pride parade plays on screen . )
The president is a moral monster -- but he is matched in his evil by Republican officeholders and members of the right-wing commentariat who , even in the face of a once-in-a-century @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life 's work of dividing the country by demonizing Democrats and liberals .
Many [ on the right ] see in the mass shutdowns and shelter-in-place policies a plot to push the country to the left .
[ Glenn ] Beck , for example , suggested that Democrats were trying to “ jam down the Green New Deal because we ’ re at home panicked.
” Heather Mac Donald , a conservative thinker and Thomas W. Smith fellow at the Manhattan Institute , sees the restrictions as “ a warm-up for their wish-list @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reno , editor of the conservative religious journal “ First Things , ” recently described an “ unspoken agreement ” among “ leaders , public health officials , and media personalities ” who “ conspire to heighten the atmosphere of crisis in order to get us to comply with their radical measures.
” He wrote that “ sentimental humanists ” are behind the closures , noting that “ Satan prefers sentimental humanists ” to do his handiwork .
Occasionally over the years I 've wondered whether the right would let up on this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about to destroy Earth .
I now have my answer : Something nearly as awful as that meteor is here , and the right still wants to sow hate .
Posted with permission from No More Mr. Nice Blog

I think this is sensible:
White House officials expressed growing alarm on Tuesday about the coronavirus outbreak in New York City, advising people who have passed through or left the city to place themselves in a 14-day quarantine.... About 60 percent of the new cases in the country were in the New York City metropolitan area.... Dr. Deborah L. Birx, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said they were very concerned about people from New York City spreading the virus. “We are starting to see new cases across Long Island that suggest people have left the city,” Dr. Birx said. “We can have a huge impact if we unite together.”
All of which might engender empathy in a normal human being. Not our president, of course.
[New York governor Andrew] Cuomo said early Tuesday that a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) delivery of 400 ventilators to the country’s hardest-hit state was insufficient and that the state needed 30,000. He also had some choice words: “You want a pat on the back for sending 400 ventilators? What are we going to do with 400 ventilators when we need 30,000?” He also more gently pleaded with Trump to begin using the Defense Production Act. “I don’t, for the life of me, understand the reluctance to use the federal Defense Production Act," he said. Cuomo didn’t specifically refer to Trump in either case, though. The former complaint seemed to get some results, with Vice President Pence saying at a Fox News virtual town hall that afternoon that 2,000 more were being shipped from the national stockpile to New York on Tuesday and 2,000 more would be sent on Wednesday. But later in the town hall, Trump appeared. And he apparently had Cuomo on his mind. Early in his appearance, he referred to an allegation floating around on fringe websites that Cuomo had in 2015 turned down thousands of ventilators. There was no pandemic taking place at that point, and the source was former New York lieutenant governor Betsy McCaughey (R), who offered no apparent substantiation. The report accused Cuomo of establishing “death panels and lottery instead.” Trump tried to hand a copy of the report to Fox News host Bill Hemmer, but Hemmer cited the need for social distancing. “I’m not blaming him or anything else, but he shouldn’t be talking about us,” Trump said. “He’s supposed to be buying his own ventilators.” Except Trump was blaming Cuomo....
Betsy McCaughey, of course, is a professional liar. Over the years, she's lied about the Clinton healthcare bill, lied about healthcare provisions in the 2009 Obama stimulus bill, and lied about Obamacare. It's what she does. She was a major driver of the Obamacare "death panels" lie. The source of her disinformation appears to be a state task force report on epidemic contingency planning that made no mention of an opportunity to purchase large numbers of ventilators.
But I want to talk about the larger issues here. After a brief period in which he seemed to be listening to experts and rejecting denialism, Trump has reverted to boosterist talk, and now expresses the hope that the country will be running more or less normally as of Easter Sunday, April 12. Experts think this would be a disaster. And, of course, it's not just Trump -- much of the Republican Party suddenly pivoted, with time-honored GOP message discipline, to a posture of "we can't let a few deaths slow the economy." They've all learned to say that continuing the lockdown will "kill" the country, even though these same people think this is the greatest country in the history of the world (how can a temporary crisis kill a great country?), and what will bring about the end of the economic catastrophe is flattening the infection curve so the medical system can handle new infections better, until there are better treatments, and eventually a vaccine.
Josh Marshall has suggested where all this is leading:
Seems very clear - from various angles - the President is trying to set this up so that the Governors are at fault for what happens in their states. Lots of deaths, that's on you. Economy stalls because you locked down? Good job. That's on you too. — Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) March 24, 2020
In America, this is still largely a crisis in metropolitan areas. It will reach everywhere, but it's worst in the most densely packed city in America, and it's bad in other metro areas where there's a great deal of incoming and outgoing travel. (It's no surprise that, after Mardi Gras, the situation in New Orleans is dire.)
Trump Nation doesn't travel. Trump Nation doesn't live in cities. The same Republican Party that cynically talked about "the Chinese virus" will soon start talking about "the New York virus" or "the Cuomo virus."
As the virus gradually reaches red America, the right will link its spread to "socialism," immigration, "diverse" populations, and, probably, liberal attitudes on LGBT issues. (It's easy to imagine a Republican member of Congress railing against the coronavirus on Fox News while a clip of a crowded gay pride parade plays on screen.)
The president is a moral monster -- but he is matched in his evil by Republican officeholders and members of the right-wing commentariat who, even in the face of a once-in-a-century national emergency, continue to pursue their life's work of dividing the country by demonizing Democrats and liberals.
Many [on the right] see in the mass shutdowns and shelter-in-place policies a plot to push the country to the left. [Glenn] Beck, for example, suggested that Democrats were trying to “jam down the Green New Deal because we’re at home panicked.” Heather Mac Donald, a conservative thinker and Thomas W. Smith fellow at the Manhattan Institute, sees the restrictions as “a warm-up for their wish-list of sweeping economic interventions.” R.R. Reno, editor of the conservative religious journal “First Things,” recently described an “unspoken agreement” among “leaders, public health officials, and media personalities” who “conspire to heighten the atmosphere of crisis in order to get us to comply with their radical measures.” He wrote that “sentimental humanists” are behind the closures, noting that “Satan prefers sentimental humanists” to do his handiwork.
Occasionally over the years I've wondered whether the right would let up on this 24/7 smear campaign if a meteor were about to destroy Earth. I now have my answer: Something nearly as awful as that meteor is here, and the right still wants to sow hate.
Posted with permission from No More Mr. Nice Blog


crooksandliars--2020-03-26--Trump Campaign Threatens To Sue After Hard-Hitting Coronavirus Ad Airs

The Trump campaign are big babies , like Fat Head himself .
But they know if any of this criticism sticks with Trump 's cult-like base he 's toast in November .
That 's why they 're calling out the lawyers .
The Trump campaign asked TV stations in swing states to take down an ad featuring the president calling coronavirus a “ hoax ” that his allies say is misleading .
The ad from Priorities USA shows the curve of U.S. cases growing from Jan. 20 to March 22 while featuring audio of Trump downplaying the threat during that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump says at the beginning , before a second clip plays , “ this is their new hoax.
” The Trump campaign says the president was describing Democrats ’ efforts to politicize the coronavirus , not calling the virus itself a hoax .
Fact-checkers at the Washington Post called a similar ad from the Biden campaign misleading , noting that the full comments from Trump at a campaign rally compared “ politicizing the coronavirus ” to the investigation into Russian interference and his impeachment .
“ Because PUSA ’ s ad ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , your station has an obligation to cease and desist from airing it immediately to comply with FCC licensing requirements , to serve the public interest , and to avoid costly and time-consuming litigation , ” notes a letter signed by Trump campaign special counsel Alex W. Cannon that was sent to stations in Florida , Michigan , Minnesota , Pennsylvania and Wisconsin .

The Trump campaign are big babies, like Fat Head himself. But they know if any of this criticism sticks with Trump's cult-like base he's toast in November. That's why they're calling out the lawyers.
Source: Bloomberg
The Trump campaign asked TV stations in swing states to take down an ad featuring the president calling coronavirus a “hoax” that his allies say is misleading.
The ad from Priorities USA shows the curve of U.S. cases growing from Jan. 20 to March 22 while featuring audio of Trump downplaying the threat during that time. “The coronavirus,” Trump says at the beginning, before a second clip plays, “this is their new hoax.”
The Trump campaign says the president was describing Democrats’ efforts to politicize the coronavirus, not calling the virus itself a hoax.
Fact-checkers at the Washington Post called a similar ad from the Biden campaign misleading, noting that the full comments from Trump at a campaign rally compared “politicizing the coronavirus” to the investigation into Russian interference and his impeachment.
“Because PUSA’s ad’s central point is deliberately false and misleading, your station has an obligation to cease and desist from airing it immediately to comply with FCC licensing requirements, to serve the public interest, and to avoid costly and time-consuming litigation,” notes a letter signed by Trump campaign special counsel Alex W. Cannon that was sent to stations in Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.


crooksandliars--2020-03-25--In Case You're Wondering Why Florida Got All The Supplies They Requested...

ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom .
Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox .
On March 11 , Florida requested a cache of emergency supplies from the federal government to protect its medical workers against the novel coronavirus .
Three days later , the state got everything it wanted .
Other states had only tiny slivers of their requests fulfilled , including some that had asked for them earlier than Florida .
Oregon and Oklahoma received only about 10 % ; New Jersey got less than 6 % .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the states that feel shortchanged in their requests from the Strategic National Stockpile , a trove of supplies managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services .
Officials fear that hospitals will be overwhelmed by far more patients than they can safely treat if the current pace of infections continues .
This month , officials estimated that if the outbreak lasts a year , the U.S. could need 3.5 billion of the N95 masks that protect health care workers .
The national stockpile had only 12 million N95 masks and 30 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis began .
While it may appear like the federal government is playing favorites , federal officials said their decisions were based on their best assessment of relative needs .
HHS told states this week that it is giving out 25 % of the stockpile to states according to population size , and sending another 25 % strategically to states with the most severe outbreaks , which can be used for needs such as testing passengers on cruise ships brought back to shore .
The remaining 50 % will be held in “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if there ’ s a huge spike of critical needs around the country .
The inability of the United States to deploy widespread testing for the coronavirus has further complicated how the supplies are being apportioned because health officials do not have a complete picture of where the virus is circulating most widely .
But many states , worried that their case counts are about to soar and their hospitals will be swamped , have been unsatisfied with their allotment .
The system appears to roughly conform to states ’ populations , rather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Florida , a state of 21 million , got all 180,000 N95 masks it wanted .
Oregon , a state of 4 million , only received 40,000 of the 400,000 masks it requested , and New Jersey , a state of 9 million , got 85,000 of the 2.9 million masks it feels it needs .
It is hard to assess what constitutes a reasonable request .
All states are starting with different stockpiles of supplies .
Some have been hit harder than others by the virus , and some anticipate they might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ secure as much as possible for its health workers , who are raising alarms that they are running out of basic supplies .
This pandemic will require enormous amounts of personal protective equipment , or PPE , for health care workers in part because the symptoms of COVID-19 are not unusual — it ’ s hard to quickly distinguish a COVID-19 patient from someone suffering from the flu .
Anyone doctors suspect of being infected with the coronavirus needs to be treated with great care , lest the infection spread .
Many items @ @ @ @ @ @ @ masks , are designed to be used once then thrown away , but some hospitals and long-term care facilities are already experimenting with reusing their equipment to stretch their supplies .
“ It ’ s very frustrating and very scary to hear the numbers , ” said Kimberly Green-Yates , chief operating officer of Diakonos Group , which runs about 20 skilled nursing and long-term care facilities across Oklahoma .
“ The people we take care of are the most vulnerable .
Without PPE , we can ’ t keep them safe.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company heard about the deaths in Washington state in a nursing facility , Diakonos ordered a large supply of PPE and locked it away for emergencies .
Some of the protective equipment , she said , was used up during this year ’ s flu season .
“ If [ the virus ] gets in , our supply is going to be gone in days , ” she explained .
“ Then what do you do ?
… We ’ re working our absolute hardest to keep our elders safe right now .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that if we don ’ t even have equipment ?
” There is no set formula for how to distribute stockpiled goods in a disaster , but this crisis will place an unprecedented strain on America ’ s backup supply system .
Most emergencies , like weather-related disasters or chemical plant explosions , are geographically confined and don ’ t require HHS to make tough decisions about what is most needed where .
Through state departments of emergency management , governors request assistance , which can either arrive in the form of “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can be sent to a state within 12 hours or more customized supplies stored by government warehouses and private companies around the country .
In a statement to ProPublica , HHS acknowledged that the population-based distribution system means that allocations are “ likely less than what states are currently requesting , ” but noted that “ jurisdictions are receiving 100 % of their allocations ” under the government ’ s formula .
The formula only applies to PPE , and not to ventilators , HHS said .
It ’ s up to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the agency isn ’ t immune to political pressure .
“ If a governor jumps up and down and yells and screams , it gets attention , ” said Nicole Lurie , former head of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response under the Obama administration .
“ It probably helps to have a really loud megaphone.
” Florida , which has regular experience with hurricanes , isn ’ t waiting on the sidelines , despite having received its entire wishlist .
On Monday , the state ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ second request , saying that it was still not sufficiently prepared to handle the looming pandemic ; it asked for 2 million N95 masks , 500,000 gloves , 500,000 gowns and 250,000 coveralls .
The division also asked for thousands of ventilators and hospital beds , as well five mobile intensive care units .
States Are Fighting for Themselves Several states have voiced their dismay about how the stockpile is being distributed .
“ The support we have received from the administration is woefully insufficient , ” Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. , D-N.J. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t call it complete radio silence from federal officials , but their communications are barely flickering .
… If our health workers , doctors and nurses especially , don ’ t have masks , or gloves , or cotton swabs , lives will be lost — full stop.
” Along with 11 other members of Congress from New Jersey , Pascrell co-signed a letter to HHS pushing the agency to send more supplies to their home state .
They argued that since the state sits right between New York City and Philadelphia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from them frequently , New Jersey residents have unique vulnerabilities that HHS has failed to recognize .
New Jersey first requested supplies from the stockpile on Feb. 24 , according to a spokeswoman for the state ’ s Department of Health .
Nothing arrived until March 13 , more than two weeks later .
In addition to the 2.9 million N95 masks , the state requested 864,000 surgical gowns , 864,000 face shields and 2,880,000 pairs of gloves .
New Jersey received less than 5 % of its request for each of those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York City asked for 2.2 million N95 masks from the stockpile and received only 78,000 , according to Health Department spokesman Michael Lanza .
All of them were marked as expired .
“ Public health emergency preparedness , which includes the Strategic National Stockpile , has been chronically underfunded for years , ” Lanza said .
In Oklahoma , the state Department of Health sent the Strategic National Stockpile a request on March 11 for supplies including 500,000 N95 masks , 300,000 face shields and 400,000 surgicals gowns .
The state began receiving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has not gotten 90 % of what it wants .
“ 100 % of all items were expired , ” according to Department of Public Safety spokesperson Cody McDonell , although HHS sent them a letter saying that some of the masks had been performance-tested by the CDC and “ they should be just fine to use.
” According to an HHS letter reviewed by ProPublica , most of the stockpile ’ s personal protective equipment was acquired in 2007 with supplemental funds for pandemic influenza preparedness “ and many have exceeded their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got everything it wanted , received expired goods .
In Oregon , a spokesperson for the governor ’ s office said the state has been told it will receive an additional 15 % of its initial order , but that second shipment is yet to arrive .
The Oregon Health Authority told its Legislature this week that the state had about 590,000 N95 masks in its stockpile at the start of the outbreak .
The supply is down to 421,000 .
The number of surgical masks has gone from 49,000 to 18,000 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the 23,000 gowns it started with .
Nurses say they can ’ t wait .
“ Some of our facilities are reporting that they will be out of PPE within the next 48 hours , ” said Lynda Pond , president of the Oregon Nurses Association .
She said she ’ s never heard of a hospital being that close to being out of supplies in her 35-year career .
What the state has received so far compared to its needs , she said , is “ a drop in the bucket.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ scrambling to replenish the stockpile as it runs out .
President Donald Trump has said he may use the Defense Production Act , a law that gives him powers to rapidly expand domestic manufacturing of protective masks and clothing , and automakers are trying to figure out if their production lines can be retooled to make medical equipment .
But ramping up won ’ t be simple , according to Irwin Redlener , a professor and director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University .
“ It ’ s like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Redlener said .
“ They ’ ve gone out to every vendor on the planet and every manufacturer to try to get the stockpile built up .
But right now every state in the union and many countries are going to the same limited number of vendors .
So it ’ s a real problem.
” The crucial medical devices needed to keep patients alive will likely also be in short supply , Redlener said .
He said he understood that the reserve had at least 70,000 ventilators when he served @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The current total is fewer than 13,000 , the National Institutes of Allergies and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci has said , with a few thousand more at the Department of Defense .
Hospitals , which have switched to a just-in-time inventory system that allows them to save money by keeping less equipment in reserve , have about 160,000 ventilators nationwide .
Redlener estimates that twice that number may ultimately be needed .
At the moment , states aren ’ t receiving much in the way of assurances from the federal government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Trump said that while domestic manufacturers of face masks have gone into overdrive and the White House is helping , governors need to work to find supplies themselves .
“ The government ’ s not supposed to be out there buying vast amounts of items and then shipping , we ’ re not a shipping clerk , ” Trump said .
“ As with testing , the governors are supposed to be doing it .
”

ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
On March 11, Florida requested a cache of emergency supplies from the federal government to protect its medical workers against the novel coronavirus.
Three days later, the state got everything it wanted.
Other states had only tiny slivers of their requests fulfilled, including some that had asked for them earlier than Florida. Oregon and Oklahoma received only about 10%; New Jersey got less than 6%.
This disparity has not been lost on the states that feel shortchanged in their requests from the Strategic National Stockpile, a trove of supplies managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Officials fear that hospitals will be overwhelmed by far more patients than they can safely treat if the current pace of infections continues. This month, officials estimated that if the outbreak lasts a year, the U.S. could need 3.5 billion of the N95 masks that protect health care workers. The national stockpile had only 12 million N95 masks and 30 million surgical masks on hand when the crisis began.
While it may appear like the federal government is playing favorites, federal officials said their decisions were based on their best assessment of relative needs. HHS told states this week that it is giving out 25% of the stockpile to states according to population size, and sending another 25% strategically to states with the most severe outbreaks, which can be used for needs such as testing passengers on cruise ships brought back to shore. The remaining 50% will be held in “strategic reserve,” to be used if there’s a huge spike of critical needs around the country.
The inability of the United States to deploy widespread testing for the coronavirus has further complicated how the supplies are being apportioned because health officials do not have a complete picture of where the virus is circulating most widely. But many states, worried that their case counts are about to soar and their hospitals will be swamped, have been unsatisfied with their allotment.
The system appears to roughly conform to states’ populations, rather than the size of their requests. Florida, a state of 21 million, got all 180,000 N95 masks it wanted. Oregon, a state of 4 million, only received 40,000 of the 400,000 masks it requested, and New Jersey, a state of 9 million, got 85,000 of the 2.9 million masks it feels it needs.
It is hard to assess what constitutes a reasonable request. All states are starting with different stockpiles of supplies. Some have been hit harder than others by the virus, and some anticipate they might be. Each state is trying to secure as much as possible for its health workers, who are raising alarms that they are running out of basic supplies.
This pandemic will require enormous amounts of personal protective equipment, or PPE, for health care workers in part because the symptoms of COVID-19 are not unusual — it’s hard to quickly distinguish a COVID-19 patient from someone suffering from the flu. Anyone doctors suspect of being infected with the coronavirus needs to be treated with great care, lest the infection spread. Many items, like gloves and some types of masks, are designed to be used once then thrown away, but some hospitals and long-term care facilities are already experimenting with reusing their equipment to stretch their supplies.
“It’s very frustrating and very scary to hear the numbers,” said Kimberly Green-Yates, chief operating officer of Diakonos Group, which runs about 20 skilled nursing and long-term care facilities across Oklahoma. “The people we take care of are the most vulnerable. Without PPE, we can’t keep them safe.”
Green-Yates said that as soon as her company heard about the deaths in Washington state in a nursing facility, Diakonos ordered a large supply of PPE and locked it away for emergencies. Some of the protective equipment, she said, was used up during this year’s flu season. “If [the virus] gets in, our supply is going to be gone in days,” she explained. “Then what do you do? … We’re working our absolute hardest to keep our elders safe right now. And how are we supposed to do that if we don’t even have equipment?”
A System, Built in the Dark
There is no set formula for how to distribute stockpiled goods in a disaster, but this crisis will place an unprecedented strain on America’s backup supply system.
Most emergencies, like weather-related disasters or chemical plant explosions, are geographically confined and don’t require HHS to make tough decisions about what is most needed where. Through state departments of emergency management, governors request assistance, which can either arrive in the form of “push packages” of ready-to-go aid that can be sent to a state within 12 hours or more customized supplies stored by government warehouses and private companies around the country.
In a statement to ProPublica, HHS acknowledged that the population-based distribution system means that allocations are “likely less than what states are currently requesting,” but noted that “jurisdictions are receiving 100% of their allocations” under the government’s formula. The formula only applies to PPE, and not to ventilators, HHS said.
It’s up to the states to decide what they ask for, and the agency isn’t immune to political pressure. “If a governor jumps up and down and yells and screams, it gets attention,” said Nicole Lurie, former head of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response under the Obama administration. “It probably helps to have a really loud megaphone.”
Florida, which has regular experience with hurricanes, isn’t waiting on the sidelines, despite having received its entire wishlist. On Monday, the state’s Division of Emergency Management made a second request, saying that it was still not sufficiently prepared to handle the looming pandemic; it asked for 2 million N95 masks, 500,000 gloves, 500,000 gowns and 250,000 coveralls. The division also asked for thousands of ventilators and hospital beds, as well five mobile intensive care units.
States Are Fighting for Themselves
Several states have voiced their dismay about how the stockpile is being distributed.
“The support we have received from the administration is woefully insufficient,” Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-N.J., told ProPublica. “I wouldn’t call it complete radio silence from federal officials, but their communications are barely flickering. … If our health workers, doctors and nurses especially, don’t have masks, or gloves, or cotton swabs, lives will be lost — full stop.”
Along with 11 other members of Congress from New Jersey, Pascrell co-signed a letter to HHS pushing the agency to send more supplies to their home state. They argued that since the state sits right between New York City and Philadelphia, and people move back and forth from them frequently, New Jersey residents have unique vulnerabilities that HHS has failed to recognize.
New Jersey first requested supplies from the stockpile on Feb. 24, according to a spokeswoman for the state’s Department of Health. Nothing arrived until March 13, more than two weeks later. In addition to the 2.9 million N95 masks, the state requested 864,000 surgical gowns, 864,000 face shields and 2,880,000 pairs of gloves. New Jersey received less than 5% of its request for each of those items, the spokeswoman said.
New York City asked for 2.2 million N95 masks from the stockpile and received only 78,000, according to Health Department spokesman Michael Lanza. All of them were marked as expired. “Public health emergency preparedness, which includes the Strategic National Stockpile, has been chronically underfunded for years,” Lanza said.
In Oklahoma, the state Department of Health sent the Strategic National Stockpile a request on March 11 for supplies including 500,000 N95 masks, 300,000 face shields and 400,000 surgicals gowns. The state began receiving supplies five days later, but it has not gotten 90% of what it wants. “100% of all items were expired,” according to Department of Public Safety spokesperson Cody McDonell, although HHS sent them a letter saying that some of the masks had been performance-tested by the CDC and “they should be just fine to use.”
According to an HHS letter reviewed by ProPublica, most of the stockpile’s personal protective equipment was acquired in 2007 with supplemental funds for pandemic influenza preparedness “and many have exceeded their shelf life.” Even Florida, which got everything it wanted, received expired goods.
In Oregon, a spokesperson for the governor’s office said the state has been told it will receive an additional 15% of its initial order, but that second shipment is yet to arrive. The Oregon Health Authority told its Legislature this week that the state had about 590,000 N95 masks in its stockpile at the start of the outbreak. The supply is down to 421,000. The number of surgical masks has gone from 49,000 to 18,000, and the state has used 83% of the 23,000 gowns it started with.
Nurses say they can’t wait. “Some of our facilities are reporting that they will be out of PPE within the next 48 hours,” said Lynda Pond, president of the Oregon Nurses Association. She said she’s never heard of a hospital being that close to being out of supplies in her 35-year career. What the state has received so far compared to its needs, she said, is “a drop in the bucket.”
The Government Is Panic Shopping
Now, the federal government is scrambling to replenish the stockpile as it runs out. President Donald Trump has said he may use the Defense Production Act, a law that gives him powers to rapidly expand domestic manufacturing of protective masks and clothing, and automakers are trying to figure out if their production lines can be retooled to make medical equipment.
But ramping up won’t be simple, according to Irwin Redlener, a professor and director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University.
“It’s like panic shopping on the part of government,” Redlener said. “They’ve gone out to every vendor on the planet and every manufacturer to try to get the stockpile built up. But right now every state in the union and many countries are going to the same limited number of vendors. So it’s a real problem.”
The crucial medical devices needed to keep patients alive will likely also be in short supply, Redlener said. He said he understood that the reserve had at least 70,000 ventilators when he served on an advisory committee in 2016. The current total is fewer than 13,000, the National Institutes of Allergies and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci has said, with a few thousand more at the Department of Defense. Hospitals, which have switched to a just-in-time inventory system that allows them to save money by keeping less equipment in reserve, have about 160,000 ventilators nationwide. Redlener estimates that twice that number may ultimately be needed.
At the moment, states aren’t receiving much in the way of assurances from the federal government. During a press conference on Thursday, Trump said that while domestic manufacturers of face masks have gone into overdrive and the White House is helping, governors need to work to find supplies themselves.
“The government’s not supposed to be out there buying vast amounts of items and then shipping, we’re not a shipping clerk,” Trump said. “As with testing, the governors are supposed to be doing it.”
Perla Trevizo contributed reporting.


crooksandliars--2020-04-16--White House Defends Ivanka Trump And Family Flouting Travel Ban To Travel To NJ Retreat

The White House on Thursday defended the president ’ s daughter , Ivanka Trump , after she broke CDC guidelines and traveled across state lines to attend a Passover event .
The New York Times first reported that Ivanka Trump “ has not followed the federal guidelines advising against discretionary travel , leaving Washington for another one of her family ’ s homes , even as she has publicly thanked people for self-quarantining.
” “ Ms .
Trump and her husband , Jared Kushner , who is also a senior White House adviser , traveled with their three children to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New Jersey to celebrate the first night of Passover this month , according to two people with knowledge of their travel plans , even as seders across the country were canceled and families gathered remotely over apps like Zoom , ” the Times said .
Although the White House initially declined to comment , the communications office later defended the president ’ s daughter .
“ Ivanka , with her immediate family – celebrated Passover at a closed down facility considered to be a family home .
Her travel was no different than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the location was less populated than the surrounding area near her home in D.C. , ” the White House said in a statement to CNN ’ s Betsy Klein .
“ While at Bedminster she has been practicing social distancing and working remotely , ” the statement added .
“ Her travel was not commercial .
She chose to spend a holiday in private with her family.
” CNN ’ s Kate Bennett noted that members of the Secret Service also traveled with Ivanka Trump and her family .
“ Traveling to Bedminster @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Secret Service details , many of whom I would presume also have families who are concerned about the virus .
USSS declined to comment to @ CNN , ” Bennett explained .

The White House on Thursday defended the president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, after she broke CDC guidelines and traveled across state lines to attend a Passover event.
The New York Times first reported that Ivanka Trump “has not followed the federal guidelines advising against discretionary travel, leaving Washington for another one of her family’s homes, even as she has publicly thanked people for self-quarantining.”
“Ms. Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, who is also a senior White House adviser, traveled with their three children to the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey to celebrate the first night of Passover this month, according to two people with knowledge of their travel plans, even as seders across the country were canceled and families gathered remotely over apps like Zoom,” the Times said.
Although the White House initially declined to comment, the communications office later defended the president’s daughter.
“Ivanka, with her immediate family – celebrated Passover at a closed down facility considered to be a family home. Her travel was no different than had she been traveling to/from work and the location was less populated than the surrounding area near her home in D.C.,” the White House said in a statement to CNN’s Betsy Klein.
“While at Bedminster she has been practicing social distancing and working remotely,” the statement added. “Her travel was not commercial. She chose to spend a holiday in private with her family.”
CNN’s Kate Bennett noted that members of the Secret Service also traveled with Ivanka Trump and her family.
“Traveling to Bedminster also requires travel by Jared and Ivanka’s Secret Service details, many of whom I would presume also have families who are concerned about the virus. USSS declined to comment to @CNN,” Bennett explained.
A White House official confirms to @cnn's @betsy_klein that, despite federal guidelines, @IvankaTrump and Jared Kushner and their children, left DC for their country home at Trump's private Bedminster, NJ, club, as first reported by the @nytimes. “Ivanka, with her immediate (1/4) — Kate Bennett (@KateBennett_DC) April 16, 2020
"family - celebrated Passover at a closed down facility considered to be a family home. Her travel was no different than had she been traveling to/from work and the location was less populated than the surrounding area near her home in D.C." (2/4) — Kate Bennett (@KateBennett_DC) April 16, 2020
“While at Bedminster she has been practicing social distancing and working remotely. Her travel was not commercial. She chose to spend a holiday in private with her family.” Presumably, however, her holiday at her (3/4) — Kate Bennett (@KateBennett_DC) April 16, 2020


crooksandliars--2020-04-16--Liberty University Sued For 'Profiting' Off Pandemic, Withholding Refunds On Campus Fees

Students of Liberty University in Lynchburg , Virginia , are suing the school over withholding refunds and credits to students for services not being administered during the COVID-19 pandemic .
The lawsuit accuses the school of misleading students and their families into believing that the campus was still fully functioning when they were deciding whether or not to come back after the March spring break .
The lawsuit contends that with leadership like the school ’ s president Jerry Falwell Jr. telling students and parents that the campus was open , Liberty University was able to collect room and board @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I think it was Jesus who said , “ I don ’ t care if Rome controls Jerusalem , pay me my rent !
” It ’ s been a while since I ’ ve looked up the passage , but I ’ m sure it ’ s there .
Evangelical education facility Liberty University has been a continuing focal point in the bizarre death cult battle between Trump ’ s ongoing denial of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rest of reality .
As fears around outbreaks in the United States from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jr. went on news shows to tell them how this pandemic was mostly a panic cooked up in a partisan effort to unseat Donald Trump .
Then he was promptly forced to close down the Liberty University campus because we are in the middle of an actual pandemic .
The technical point here is that according to CNN , Liberty University offered up a $ 1,000 credit to students who had decided to leave the campus residential halls during the pandemic .
However , this “ credit , ” good for the fall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who were not planning or could not plan to be on campus this coming fall .
On top of this , that credit could only be received if students and their families indicated they wanted the credit by March 28 .
Considering that Falwell Jr. and other officials were boasting that the Liberty University campus was staying open late into March , the March 28 date does strike one as rather suspect .
Falwell Jr. has attempted to use this public health and economic crisis to push forward his general quasi-theocratic agenda , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the amount of land one owns is commensurate with one ’ s political power .
So being a coldhearted landlord willing to steal people ’ s money under an Act of God-type clause is a perfect distilling of what Falwell Jr. and his fellow travelers really are .

Students of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, are suing the school over withholding refunds and credits to students for services not being administered during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lawsuit accuses the school of misleading students and their families into believing that the campus was still fully functioning when they were deciding whether or not to come back after the March spring break. The lawsuit contends that with leadership like the school’s president Jerry Falwell Jr. telling students and parents that the campus was open, Liberty University was able to collect room and board fees that they now refuse to refund.
I think it was Jesus who said, “I don’t care if Rome controls Jerusalem, pay me my rent!” It’s been a while since I’ve looked up the passage, but I’m sure it’s there. Evangelical education facility Liberty University has been a continuing focal point in the bizarre death cult battle between Trump’s ongoing denial of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rest of reality. As fears around outbreaks in the United States from the developing pandemic grew, Jerry Falwell Jr. went on news shows to tell them how this pandemic was mostly a panic cooked up in a partisan effort to unseat Donald Trump. Then he was promptly forced to close down the Liberty University campus because we are in the middle of an actual pandemic.
The technical point here is that according to CNN, Liberty University offered up a $1,000 credit to students who had decided to leave the campus residential halls during the pandemic. However, this “credit,” good for the fall semester, excludes graduating students and students who were not planning or could not plan to be on campus this coming fall. On top of this, that credit could only be received if students and their families indicated they wanted the credit by March 28. Considering that Falwell Jr. and other officials were boasting that the Liberty University campus was staying open late into March, the March 28 date does strike one as rather suspect.
Falwell Jr. has attempted to use this public health and economic crisis to push forward his general quasi-theocratic agenda, which includes a definition of democracy where the amount of land one owns is commensurate with one’s political power. So being a coldhearted landlord willing to steal people’s money under an Act of God-type clause is a perfect distilling of what Falwell Jr. and his fellow travelers really are.
(Jerry Falwell Jr.'s defiant vow to remain open last month, which was met with an online petition from thousands of unhappy Liberty students below.)
Posted with permission from Daily Kos.


crooksandliars--2020-04-16--Trump's Call With Wall Street Execs Was, Of Course, A 'Sh*tshow'

Donald Trump held a phone call with several Wall Street CEO 's yesterday , and by more than one report , it was a shitshow .
Headline News covered it this way : JENNIFER WESTHOVEN : Yes there were a lot of promises about this , the president wanted to talk to a big group of business leaders about reopening , they had their first call of this yesterday .
The Wall Street Journal says they just kept pressing him for more testing .
Dramatically more testing .
Saying you can not reopen unless we have testing , testing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but it is also from governors .
It is from doctors .
It is from economists .
That is what we need and until we get that , talk about reopening does n't make sense .
It might even hurt the economy more .
Look , it 's the analogy we 've been using is get the baby over the bridge , keep the economy intact until we get to the other side , what if we get to the other side and it is Groundhogs Day except this time it 's a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , reports of ice rinks to store bodies -- if you get across the other side and that is what it looks like ?
That 's going to do a lot more long term damage to the economy .
Apparently the Wall Street bank executives got less than 12 hours notice that there would be a conference call with the so-called president .
Several of them already had earnings reports calls that they HAD to take during the same hour , so they stood up the White House .
That 's what happens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the staff they 've got is incompetent .
Also , Wall Street does n't drop everything to listen to Donald Trump , go figure .
Politico : One top executive described the call as a “ shit show ” that produced little of substance .
Trump asked several questions , including to Moynihan about how the small business loan program was going .
That program is now slated to run out of money soon .
Beyond the haphazard nature of the call , senior bankers are getting increasingly frustrated with Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say pressure tactics to reopen the economy as fast as possible make no sense if the virus isn ’ t fully under control and consumers and businesses don ’ t feel safe to resume anything close to normal activities .
“ I really don ’ t understand how they are communicating on this , ” one CEO told POLITICO on condition that neither they nor their firm be named for fear of angering the White House .
“ He ’ s got to stop talking about turning the economy back on and start @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things that are happening around testing and the health care system .
That ’ s the only way you will really get the economy reopened over a period of time.
” So NOW Trump will `` ramp up '' testing ?
Really .

Donald Trump held a phone call with several Wall Street CEO's yesterday, and by more than one report, it was a shitshow. Headline News covered it this way:
JENNIFER WESTHOVEN: Yes there were a lot of promises about this, the president wanted to talk to a big group of business leaders about reopening, they had their first call of this yesterday. The Wall Street Journal says they just kept pressing him for more testing. Dramatically more testing. Saying you cannot reopen unless we have testing, testing, testing. That is from business leaders but it is also from governors. It is from doctors. It is from economists. That is what we need and until we get that, talk about reopening doesn't make sense. It might even hurt the economy more. Look, it's the analogy we've been using is get the baby over the bridge, keep the economy intact until we get to the other side, what if we get to the other side and it is Groundhogs Day except this time it's a horror movie again -- of more death, reports of ice rinks to store bodies -- if you get across the other side and that is what it looks like? That's going to do a lot more long term damage to the economy.
Apparently the Wall Street bank executives got less than 12 hours notice that there would be a conference call with the so-called president. Several of them already had earnings reports calls that they HAD to take during the same hour, so they stood up the White House. That's what happens when the White House is tremendously understaffed and the staff they've got is incompetent. Also, Wall Street doesn't drop everything to listen to Donald Trump, go figure. Politico:
One top executive described the call as a “shit show” that produced little of substance. Trump asked several questions, including to Moynihan about how the small business loan program was going. That program is now slated to run out of money soon. Beyond the haphazard nature of the call, senior bankers are getting increasingly frustrated with Trump’s approach to the crisis. They say pressure tactics to reopen the economy as fast as possible make no sense if the virus isn’t fully under control and consumers and businesses don’t feel safe to resume anything close to normal activities. “I really don’t understand how they are communicating on this,” one CEO told POLITICO on condition that neither they nor their firm be named for fear of angering the White House. “He’s got to stop talking about turning the economy back on and start talking about making people feel safe, things that are happening around testing and the health care system. That’s the only way you will really get the economy reopened over a period of time.”
So NOW Trump will "ramp up" testing? Really.


crooksandliars--2020-04-16--The Usual Suspects, Including Betsy DeVos,  Behind Michigan Protests

It was great to join @ DLoesch from the police state of Michigan today .
Under Gretchen Whitmer ’ s @ @ @ @ @ ’ t mow your grass but you can smoke it .
We all want safety @ @ @ @ @ have gone way too far .
pic.twitter.com/rev63tj3Ep

It was great to join @DLoesch from the police state of Michigan today.
Under Gretchen Whitmer’s power grab, you can’t mow your grass but you can smoke it.
We all want safety, but her authoritarian measures have gone way too far. pic.twitter.com/rev63tj3Ep
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) April 16, 2020


crooksandliars--2020-04-16--South Korea Reports Positive COV-19 Tests In Seemingly Recovered Patients

CNN 's New Day had a segment about COVID-19 news from South Korea .
`` We want your take on a new study that we saw , new information that we saw just before we came to air this morning .
that came from South Korea , that 114 people there who had believed to be recovered from coronavirus had tested positive again , or at least shown traces of the virus again , '' John Berman said to Sanjay Gupta .
`` Explain to us what that means and the possible implications here , because one of the questions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we know for sure you ca n't get it again if you already have it ? ''
`` Right .
So two important terms here , '' Gupta said .
`` One is reinfection , so someone has the virus , they get infected , they clear the virus , it has gone from their body , and then they get infected again .
and then another one is reactivation , which basically means you had the virus in your body , you got better in terms of symptoms , but in fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reactivated the virus .
Never left your body , but got reactivated in some way so you got sick again .
Two different things .
`` From a reinfection standpoint , you know , the answer to both these things , John , I think we always have to give some -- humble here when we give answers , we do n't know , we 're still pretty early days into this , there has been some early animal studies , maybe suggesting animals could be reinfected .
But , you know , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about this , Dr. Fauci has been asked about this a few times , I 've been keeping special notes on this and what we hear is that it is very unlikely to be reinfected .
`` If this behaves like any other virus , including other coronaviruses , after you 're infected , your body should develop antibodies that provide some immunity .
We do n't know how strong or how long , but should provide some immunity .
Is it possible the virus does n't leave for much longer than we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guy Carl Goldman who for some time who seemed to have evidence of the virus in his body , being swabbed every other day , evidence of the virus in his body for about a month .
`` It is possible this virus hangs in the body much longer than we thought .
In Carl 's case , he did clear it , so it is not like someone that hangs in your body forever , creates a shingles-like pattern years down the line , it does n't seem to be that case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the body much longer than we realize . ''

CNN's New Day had a segment about COVID-19 news from South Korea.
"We want your take on a new study that we saw, new information that we saw just before we came to air this morning. that came from South Korea, that 114 people there who had believed to be recovered from coronavirus had tested positive again, or at least shown traces of the virus again," John Berman said to Sanjay Gupta.
"Explain to us what that means and the possible implications here, because one of the questions we have been asking is, do we know for sure you can't get it again if you already have it?"
"Right. So two important terms here," Gupta said.
"One is reinfection, so someone has the virus, they get infected, they clear the virus, it has gone from their body, and then they get infected again. and then another one is reactivation, which basically means you had the virus in your body, you got better in terms of symptoms, but in fact the virus was still there and something reactivated the virus. Never left your body, but got reactivated in some way so you got sick again. Two different things.
"From a reinfection standpoint, you know, the answer to both these things, John, I think we always have to give some -- humble here when we give answers, we don't know, we're still pretty early days into this, there has been some early animal studies, maybe suggesting animals could be reinfected. But, you know, a lot of people have been asked about this, Dr. Fauci has been asked about this a few times, I've been keeping special notes on this and what we hear is that it is very unlikely to be reinfected.
"If this behaves like any other virus, including other coronaviruses, after you're infected, your body should develop antibodies that provide some immunity. We don't know how strong or how long, but should provide some immunity. Is it possible the virus doesn't leave for much longer than we think? We have been interviewing this guy Carl Goldman who for some time who seemed to have evidence of the virus in his body, being swabbed every other day, evidence of the virus in his body for about a month.
"It is possible this virus hangs in the body much longer than we thought. In Carl's case, he did clear it, so it is not like someone that hangs in your body forever, creates a shingles-like pattern years down the line, it doesn't seem to be that case. But it may be hanging out in the body much longer than we realize."