crooksandliars--2020-05-11--S. Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem Demands Indian Tribes Remove COVID-19 Checkpoints

It seems that meatpacking workers and those unfortunate enough to live in the communities that surround them are n't the only people that South Dakota Gov .
Kristi Noem has absolutely no regard for in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic .
Last month , she told Fox 's Laura Ingraham that she was going to rely on `` common sense '' and leave the state open , despite the fact the largest coronavirus hotspot in the United States at that time was at the Smithfield pork factory in Sioux Falls .
Now she 's trying to force South Dakota @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they 've taken to try to control the spread of the virus : Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and Oglala Sioux Tribe leaders have rejected South Dakota Gov .
Kristi Noem ’ s demand that they remove checkpoints meant to regulate traffic through their reservation , set up to prevent the spread of coronavirus on tribal land .
In early April , the tribes ’ governments separately decided to regulate travel on and off their reservations via checkpoints .
The Oglala Sioux Tribe closed the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to all non-residents for non-essential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without stopping .
The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe also restricted travel , limiting non-residents from entering their reservation unless on essential business or if the tribal government has granted them a travel permit .
Residents and non-residents entering the reservation must fill out a health questionnaire .
On Friday , South Dakota Gov .
Kristi Noem sent letters to Chairman Harold Frazier of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and President Julian Bear Runner of the Oglala Sioux Tribe demanding that they remove the checkpoints from state and U.S. highways .
Noem said if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hours , she would take “ necessary legal action , ” according to a statement released Friday .
“ We are strongest when we work together ; this includes our battle against COVID-19 , ” Noem said in the statement .
“ I request that the tribes immediately cease interfering with or regulating traffic on U.S. and state highways and remove all travel checkpoints.
” On April 8 , the U.S. Department of the Interior ’ s Bureau of Indian Affairs ( BIA ) released temporary guidance telling tribes to reach an agreement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government-owned roads .
“ Neither consultation nor agreement among the tribal and state government occurred , ” Noem said in her statement .
“ Regardless , the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and the Oglala Sioux Tribe established checkpoints on state and U.S. highways to control and restrict non-tribal member travel.
” But both Frazier and Bear Runner maintain that they have the legal authority to have the checkpoints and they do not intend to remove them .
“ We ’ re not doing anything wrong .
We have every legal right to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Frazier tells TIME .
“ We ’ re just trying to save lives , and the lives of all the residents of this reservation , not just our [ tribal ] members.
” Both the Cheyenne River Sioux and the Oglala Sioux Tribe have issued stay-at-home orders and curfews , while the state of South Dakota has not .
As the Time article noted , Bear Runner responded to Noem in the video below and told the publication Noem “ threatened the sovereign interest of the Oglala people when she issued an ultimatum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prior and superior right to make our own laws and be governed by them .
”

It seems that meatpacking workers and those unfortunate enough to live in the communities that surround them aren't the only people that South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has absolutely no regard for in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic.
Last month, she told Fox's Laura Ingraham that she was going to rely on "common sense" and leave the state open, despite the fact the largest coronavirus hotspot in the United States at that time was at the Smithfield pork factory in Sioux Falls.
Now she's trying to force South Dakota native American tribes to shut down measures they've taken to try to control the spread of the virus:
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and Oglala Sioux Tribe leaders have rejected South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s demand that they remove checkpoints meant to regulate traffic through their reservation, set up to prevent the spread of coronavirus on tribal land. In early April, the tribes’ governments separately decided to regulate travel on and off their reservations via checkpoints. The Oglala Sioux Tribe closed the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to all non-residents for non-essential travel, though vehicles could pass through without stopping. The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe also restricted travel, limiting non-residents from entering their reservation unless on essential business or if the tribal government has granted them a travel permit. Residents and non-residents entering the reservation must fill out a health questionnaire. On Friday, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem sent letters to Chairman Harold Frazier of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and President Julian Bear Runner of the Oglala Sioux Tribe demanding that they remove the checkpoints from state and U.S. highways. Noem said if the checkpoints are not removed within 48 hours, she would take “necessary legal action,” according to a statement released Friday. “We are strongest when we work together; this includes our battle against COVID-19,” Noem said in the statement. “I request that the tribes immediately cease interfering with or regulating traffic on U.S. and state highways and remove all travel checkpoints.” On April 8, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) released temporary guidance telling tribes to reach an agreement with state authorities before restricting travel on government-owned roads. “Neither consultation nor agreement among the tribal and state government occurred,” Noem said in her statement. “Regardless, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and the Oglala Sioux Tribe established checkpoints on state and U.S. highways to control and restrict non-tribal member travel.” But both Frazier and Bear Runner maintain that they have the legal authority to have the checkpoints and they do not intend to remove them. “We’re not doing anything wrong. We have every legal right to do what we’re doing,” Frazier tells TIME. “We’re just trying to save lives, and the lives of all the residents of this reservation, not just our [tribal] members.” Both the Cheyenne River Sioux and the Oglala Sioux Tribe have issued stay-at-home orders and curfews, while the state of South Dakota has not.
As the Time article noted, Bear Runner responded to Noem in the video below and told the publication Noem “threatened the sovereign interest of the Oglala people when she issued an ultimatum,” and “we have a prior and superior right to make our own laws and be governed by them.”


crooksandliars--2020-05-11--White House Nixed Mitigation Plan In February After Trump 'Exploded About The Economic Fallout': Rep

White House Nixed Mitigation Plan In February After Trump 'Exploded About The Economic Fallout': Report

President Donald Trump reportedly cancelled a CDC proposal to move forward with mitigation efforts in late February , weeks before Americans were told they would have to shelter ini their homes due to the coronavirus pandemic .
In a column for Rolling Stone , Tim Dickinson names four men who he says are most to blame for a multitude of testing failures in the United States .
The government leaders who failed to safeguard the nation are CDC Director Redfield ; FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn ; Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar ; and of course , President Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power to change the direction of this pandemic , to lessen its impact on the economy , and constrain the death toll from COVID-19 .
Each failed , in a series of errors and mismanagement that grew into a singular catastrophe — or as Jared Kushner described it on Fox & Friends , “ a great success story.
” The column goes on to reveal how Trump had thwarted mitigation efforts early on .
`` The Coronavirus Task Force had resolved to present the president with a plan for mitigation efforts , like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 24th , but reportedly reversed course after Trump exploded about the economic fallout , '' Dickinson reveals .
Two days later , Vice President Mike Pence was named as leader of the White House coronavirus task force .
It was n't until two weeks later that the White House issued `` 15 days to slow the spread '' social distancing guidelines that limited gatherings to 10 or fewer people .

President Donald Trump reportedly cancelled a CDC proposal to move forward with mitigation efforts in late February, weeks before Americans were told they would have to shelter ini their homes due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a column for Rolling Stone, Tim Dickinson names four men who he says are most to blame for a multitude of testing failures in the United States.
Dickinson writes:
The government leaders who failed to safeguard the nation are CDC Director Redfield; FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn; Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar; and of course, President Trump. Together, these men had the power to change the direction of this pandemic, to lessen its impact on the economy, and constrain the death toll from COVID-19. Each failed, in a series of errors and mismanagement that grew into a singular catastrophe — or as Jared Kushner described it on Fox & Friends, “a great success story.”
The column goes on to reveal how Trump had thwarted mitigation efforts early on.
"The Coronavirus Task Force had resolved to present the president with a plan for mitigation efforts, like school and business closures, on February 24th, but reportedly reversed course after Trump exploded about the economic fallout," Dickinson reveals.
Two days later, Vice President Mike Pence was named as leader of the White House coronavirus task force.
It wasn't until two weeks later that the White House issued "15 days to slow the spread" social distancing guidelines that limited gatherings to 10 or fewer people.
Read the entire Rolling Stone piece here.


crooksandliars--2020-05-11--Endorsement Alert-- West Virginia Deserves Better

West Virginia was Bernie territory in the 2016 primary .
Most people know that he beat Hillary in every single county , but fewer people know he also garnered more votes than Trump did in many counties .
West Virginia voters are a lot more progressive than people think .
No need to write West Virginia off -- even if Trump did win every single county and pulverize the status quo Democrat in the general election .
West Virginians were n't interested in preserving the status quo .
Since Trump was inaugurated in 2017 , his job approval , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has decreased among West Virginia voters by 13 points .
Cathy Kunkel , who earned undergraduate and master ’ s degrees in physics from Princeton and Cambridge , is nothing like a status quo Democrat .
She 's been fighting for West Virginians for the last decade .
After the 2014 Freedom Industries chemical spill contaminated the drinking water of Charleston and the surrounding region , Cathy co-founded Advocates for a Safe Water System , a community group that fought for three years to win improvements to the safety of the drinking water @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Up WV , an organization that advocates for expanded healthcare access , public education , and better services for people struggling with addiction .
During West Virginia ’ s 2018 and 2019 school employee strikes , Rise Up WV administered strike funds that raised over $ 340,000 for striking employees .
Rise Up WV has helped to win state legislative victories around healthcare access and to elect new candidates for municipal government and state legislature in the Charleston area .
An energy policy expert , she has testified before the West Virginia Public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corporate bailout that would have cost consumers hundreds of millions of dollars ; to defend West Virginia ’ s rooftop solar laws ; and to strengthen energy efficiency programs and save consumers money .
Cathy is running for Congress as part of WV Can ’ t Wait , a coalition of more than 90 candidates running for offices up and down the ballot in West Virginia who have all pledged not to take corporate money in their campaigns .
Cathy is unopposed in the Democratic primary and will face Rep. Mooney in November @ @ @ @ @ @ @ race , Mooney won his re-election in 2018 with 54 % of the vote , and the WV Can ’ t Wait coalition is working hard this year to turn out the thousands of voters who have become disenchanted with the establishments of both parties .
`` In recent weeks , Cathy told us yesterday , Rep. Mooney ’ s contempt for the people of his district has been on full display .
In March , Mooney was one of 40 members of Congress who voted against the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mandated free coronavirus testing , expanded paid sick days and bolstered unemployment insurance and food assistance .
Mooney ’ s argument was that he wanted to wait and see how the previous round of federal coronavirus spending went before authorizing more spending . ''
`` Of course , it turns out that both the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act and its predecessor were a drop in the bucket in terms of addressing the severe economic shock caused by the coronavirus .
Shortly thereafter , Congress passed the CARES Act , which authorized $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the small business paycheck protection program , and a massive corporate bailout fund at the discretion of the Treasury .
You might think that a fiscal conservative like Congressman Mooney would have been concerned about these corporate bailouts , but apparently not .
Instead , on May Day , Congressman Mooney co-sponsored legislation ( H.R .
6657 , the WUHAN Rescission Act ) to claw back some of the spending authorized in the CARES Act -- not the hundreds of billions authorized for corporate bailouts , but the hundreds of millions ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Services Corporation , public transportation , rural telecommunications , international disaster assistance and the Peace Corps .
Prior to the pandemic , nearly a quarter of West Virginia ’ s workforce was employed in low-wage , service sector jobs , and one in five West Virginia kids struggled with hunger .
Today , demand at food banks has surged more than 40 % , unemployment has skyrocketed and nearly 60,000 West Virginians have lost their employer-provided health insurance during a pandemic .
`` Yet the struggle of thousands of West Virginians to afford @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not as important as cutting funding for programs that Congressman Mooney ideologically opposes .
Sadly , this is no surprise given the rest of Congressman Mooney ’ s record .
He voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act , against raising the minimum wage and in favor of eliminating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau .
He has even gone so far as to introduce legislation to put the U.S. back on the gold standard .
What West Virginia actually needs in this moment is not Congressman Mooney ’ s failed ideology , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ includes rent and mortgage payment cancellations , ongoing economic stimulus payments , paid sick days for all workers and prioritization of small business relief .
`` And going forward , West Virginia needs Medicare for All and billions of dollars of federal investment to put people back to work building the infrastructure the state needs to move forward .
West Virginia could employ thousands of people in building rural broadband , upgrading drinking water and wastewater infrastructure , and fixing the damage that coal and gas corporations have done to the state ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the ongoing climate crisis highlight the urgency of a Green New Deal to create jobs , protect workers and communities , and lay the foundation for a more diverse and stable economic future for the state . ''
Please consider contributing what you can to help replace a total Trump enabler with an independent-minded progressive woman .
We are certain Cathy Kunkel will be an extraordinary member of Congress , someone who will make us all proud .
Thanks for always doing what you can to make this a better world ,

West Virginia was Bernie territory in the 2016 primary. Most people know that he beat Hillary in every single county, but fewer people know he also garnered more votes than Trump did in many counties. West Virginia voters are a lot more progressive than people think.
No need to write West Virginia off-- even if Trump did win every single county and pulverize the status quo Democrat in the general election. West Virginians weren't interested in preserving the status quo. Since Trump was inaugurated in 2017, his job approval, according the the Morning Consult Trump Tracker, has decreased among West Virginia voters by 13 points.
Cathy Kunkel, who earned undergraduate and master’s degrees in physics from Princeton and Cambridge, is nothing like a status quo Democrat. She's been fighting for West Virginians for the last decade. After the 2014 Freedom Industries chemical spill contaminated the drinking water of Charleston and the surrounding region, Cathy co-founded Advocates for a Safe Water System, a community group that fought for three years to win improvements to the safety of the drinking water.
Cathy also co-founded and chaired Rise Up WV, an organization that advocates for expanded healthcare access, public education, and better services for people struggling with addiction. During West Virginia’s 2018 and 2019 school employee strikes, Rise Up WV administered strike funds that raised over $340,000 for striking employees. Rise Up WV has helped to win state legislative victories around healthcare access and to elect new candidates for municipal government and state legislature in the Charleston area.
An energy policy expert, she has testified before the West Virginia Public Service Commission to defeat an electric utility corporate bailout that would have cost consumers hundreds of millions of dollars; to defend West Virginia’s rooftop solar laws; and to strengthen energy efficiency programs and save consumers money.
Cathy is running for Congress as part of WV Can’t Wait, a coalition of more than 90 candidates running for offices up and down the ballot in West Virginia who have all pledged not to take corporate money in their campaigns. Cathy is unopposed in the Democratic primary and will face Rep. Mooney in November. Though the DCCC is ignoring the race, Mooney won his re-election in 2018 with 54% of the vote, and the WV Can’t Wait coalition is working hard this year to turn out the thousands of voters who have become disenchanted with the establishments of both parties.
"In recent weeks, Cathy told us yesterday, Rep. Mooney’s contempt for the people of his district has been on full display. In March, Mooney was one of 40 members of Congress who voted against the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act. Among other things, this bill mandated free coronavirus testing, expanded paid sick days and bolstered unemployment insurance and food assistance. Mooney’s argument was that he wanted to wait and see how the previous round of federal coronavirus spending went before authorizing more spending."
"Of course, it turns out that both the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act and its predecessor were a drop in the bucket in terms of addressing the severe economic shock caused by the coronavirus. Shortly thereafter, Congress passed the CARES Act, which authorized $1200 relief payments, pandemic unemployment insurance, the small business paycheck protection program, and a massive corporate bailout fund at the discretion of the Treasury. You might think that a fiscal conservative like Congressman Mooney would have been concerned about these corporate bailouts, but apparently not. Instead, on May Day, Congressman Mooney co-sponsored legislation (H.R. 6657, the WUHAN Rescission Act) to claw back some of the spending authorized in the CARES Act-- not the hundreds of billions authorized for corporate bailouts, but the hundreds of millions (or less) authorized for the Legal Services Corporation, public transportation, rural telecommunications, international disaster assistance and the Peace Corps. Prior to the pandemic, nearly a quarter of West Virginia’s workforce was employed in low-wage, service sector jobs, and one in five West Virginia kids struggled with hunger. Today, demand at food banks has surged more than 40%, unemployment has skyrocketed and nearly 60,000 West Virginians have lost their employer-provided health insurance during a pandemic. "Yet the struggle of thousands of West Virginians to afford rent, food and healthcare is somehow not as important as cutting funding for programs that Congressman Mooney ideologically opposes. Sadly, this is no surprise given the rest of Congressman Mooney’s record. He voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, against raising the minimum wage and in favor of eliminating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He has even gone so far as to introduce legislation to put the U.S. back on the gold standard. What West Virginia actually needs in this moment is not Congressman Mooney’s failed ideology, but real relief for working people. That includes rent and mortgage payment cancellations, ongoing economic stimulus payments, paid sick days for all workers and prioritization of small business relief.
"And going forward, West Virginia needs Medicare for All and billions of dollars of federal investment to put people back to work building the infrastructure the state needs to move forward. West Virginia could employ thousands of people in building rural broadband, upgrading drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, and fixing the damage that coal and gas corporations have done to the state’s land and water. The pandemic and the ongoing climate crisis highlight the urgency of a Green New Deal to create jobs, protect workers and communities, and lay the foundation for a more diverse and stable economic future for the state."
Please consider contributing what you can to help replace a total Trump enabler with an independent-minded progressive woman. We are certain Cathy Kunkel will be an extraordinary member of Congress, someone who will make us all proud.
Thanks for always doing what you can to make this a better world,
Howie, for the entire Blue America team


crooksandliars--2020-05-11--Trump Crumbles As Female Reporters Stand Up To His Verbal Abuse

Once again , Trump showed that he is a thin-skinned , racist , misogynistic bully .
For some reason , he felt the need to hold a press conference declaring we 're leading in a metric that does not exist ( lives saved , which is not a thing you can measure ... ) and when reporters challenged him on his myriad lies and double standards , he went into familiar Defensive Donny mode .
He turned particularly disgusting and abusive at the end , towards CBS ' Weijia Jiang , when she asked him why he continues to present @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nations .
JIANG : you 've said many times that the U.S. Is doing far better than any other country when it comes to testing .
JIANG : why does that matter ?
Why is this a global competition to you if every day Americans are still losing their lives and we 're still seeing more cases every day ?
TRUMP : Well , they 're losing their lives everywhere in the world .
And maybe that 's a question you should ask CHINA .
Do n't ask me .
Ask CHINA that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them that question you may get a very unusual answer .
Yes , behind you , please .
JIANG : Sir , why are you saying that to me specifically ?
That I should ask China ?
TRUMP : I 'm telling you .
I 'm not saying it specifically to anybody .
I 'm saying it to anybody that asks a nasty question .
JIANG : That 's not a nasty question .
Why does it matter ?
TRUMP : Okay .
Anybody else ?
Please , go ahead in the back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COLLINS : You pointed to me .
I have two questions .
COLLINS : You called on me .
TRUMP : I did , and you did n't respond , and now i 'm calling on the young lady in the back .
COLLINS : I just wanted to let my colleague finish .
TRUMP : Ladies and gentlemen , thank you very much , appreciate it .
Thank you very much .
BLITZER : Very , very ugly ending to that one hour appearance by the president in the Rose Garden , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ correspondent Kaitlan Collins ' question and going after another reporter , several reporters in the press in that one-hour exchange .
The indomitable Jiang was absolutely right to challenge him , and kudos also to Kaitlan Collins for allowing Jiang to follow up in order to be able to call Trump out .
That is the sort of solidarity the press pool needs to be showing one another all the f*cking time against this monster .
And of course because he can not handle one woman standing up to him , let alone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by not letting her ask her questions .
When she insists , he crumbles like the weak-ass , paper-thin-skinned coward that he is and ends the presser right there .
This is what happens when you stand up to a bully and an abuser in public .
They cower and retreat .

Once again, Trump showed that he is a thin-skinned, racist, misogynistic bully. For some reason, he felt the need to hold a press conference declaring we're leading in a metric that does not exist (lives saved, which is not a thing you can measure...) and when reporters challenged him on his myriad lies and double standards, he went into familiar Defensive Donny mode.
He turned particularly disgusting and abusive at the end, towards CBS' Weijia Jiang, when she asked him why he continues to present COVID-19 information in competitive terms with other nations.
JIANG: You've said many times that the U.S. is doing far better than any other country when it comes to testing. TRUMP: Yes. JIANG: Why does that matter? Why is this a global competition to you if every day Americans are still losing their lives and we're still seeing more cases every day? TRUMP: Well, they're losing their lives everywhere in the world. And maybe that's a question you should ask CHINA. Don't ask me. Ask CHINA that question, okay? When you ask them that question you may get a very unusual answer. Yes, behind you, please. JIANG: Sir, why are you saying that to me specifically? That I should ask China? TRUMP: I'm telling you. I'm not saying it specifically to anybody. I'm saying it to anybody that asks a nasty question.
JIANG: That's not a nasty question. Why does it matter? TRUMP: Okay. Anybody else? Please, go ahead in the back. No, it's okay. COLLINS: You pointed to me. I have two questions. TRUMP: Next. COLLINS: You called on me. TRUMP: I did, and you didn't respond, and now i'm calling on the young lady in the back. COLLINS: I just wanted to let my colleague finish. TRUMP: Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much, appreciate it. Thank you very much. BLITZER: Very, very ugly ending to that one hour appearance by the president in the Rose Garden, refusing to answer our own White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins' question and going after another reporter, several reporters in the press in that one-hour exchange.
The indomitable Jiang was absolutely right to challenge him, and kudos also to Kaitlan Collins for allowing Jiang to follow up in order to be able to call Trump out. That is the sort of solidarity the press pool needs to be showing one another all the f*cking time against this monster.
And of course because he cannot handle one woman standing up to him, let alone two, he tries to punish Collins by not letting her ask her questions. When she insists, he crumbles like the weak-ass, paper-thin-skinned coward that he is and ends the presser right there.
This is what happens when you stand up to a bully and an abuser in public. They cower and retreat.


crooksandliars--2020-05-11--Peter Navarro Rips Sunday Show Hosts For 'Great Depression Pity Party'

Trump sycophant Peter Navarro blasted the Sunday show hosts by name because they looked at the current unemployment rate and compared it to the Great Depression .
This did not play well with Trump , who spent 16 hours yesterday tweeting at a furious pace , tossing in some conspiracy-laden wingnut tweets with an occasional spontaneous emission of his own .
Hence , Navarro 's appearance on Monday morning 's Fox and Friends , where Steve Doocy served a nice easy lob over the net by simply repeating that unemployment is up to 20-25 percent .
`` Let me say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` That was a pity party yesterday on the shows -- Margaret Brennan , George Stephanopoulos , Chris Wallace -- it was a pity party !
This is not the Great Depression .
Everyone who thinks it 's the Great Depression does n't understand history or economics . ''
Of course , none of those hosts said that .
What they said was that the unemployment rate was ticking up to levels not seen since the Great Depression , which is true , regardless of the cause .
After some argle-bargle about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I , Navarro bowed before Trump and paid homage .
`` Here is what we have here , '' he explained .
`` President Donald J. Trump build the most strongest and beautiful economy in 3 and a half years and the Communist Party dropped a virus on the world that within 60 days has temporarily shut us down . ''
I see what you did there , Peter Navarro .
Never mind that no one knows the origin of this virus , never mind that 80,000 people are dead as of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because this is all messaging for how Trump thinks he will wiggle out of his responsibility for the unnecessary destruction of the economy and disruption of everyone 's life .
All of that and the fact that what Trump destroyed was PRESIDENT OBAMA 'S economy which he skated on for 3 1/2 years while paying off the billionaires with $ 2 trillion in tax cuts .
In case people did n't hear him the first time , Navarro repeated his chorus like a choir in church .
`` It 's going to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adjustments that are going to take place as we adapt to the virus socially and culturally and economically , but this Great Depression pity party i saw yesterday , this ai n't that , '' he declared .
`` And we have a great president here who built up this economy once and he can do it again and will do it again . ''
Except he did n't do it the first time and he wo n't do it again .
We already know there are small mom-and-pop businesses which will not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good , and there are no guarantees we wo n't have to lock down for a second round because of the ineptness of this White House and their inattention to the very real crisis facing us today .

Trump sycophant Peter Navarro blasted the Sunday show hosts by name because they looked at the current unemployment rate and compared it to the Great Depression. This did not play well with Trump, who spent 16 hours yesterday tweeting at a furious pace, tossing in some conspiracy-laden wingnut tweets with an occasional spontaneous emission of his own.
Hence, Navarro's appearance on Monday morning's Fox and Friends, where Steve Doocy served a nice easy lob over the net by simply repeating that unemployment is up to 20-25 percent.
"Let me say something about that," Navarro interrupted. "That was a pity party yesterday on the shows -- Margaret Brennan, George Stephanopoulos, Chris Wallace -- it was a pity party! This is not the Great Depression. Everyone who thinks it's the Great Depression doesn't understand history or economics."
Of course, none of those hosts said that. What they said was that the unemployment rate was ticking up to levels not seen since the Great Depression, which is true, regardless of the cause.
After some argle-bargle about fiscal and monetary policy in World War I, Navarro bowed before Trump and paid homage.
"Here is what we have here," he explained. "President Donald J. Trump build the most strongest and beautiful economy in 3 and a half years and the Communist Party dropped a virus on the world that within 60 days has temporarily shut us down."
I see what you did there, Peter Navarro. Never mind that no one knows the origin of this virus, never mind that 80,000 people are dead as of this writing, never mind any of that because this is all messaging for how Trump thinks he will wiggle out of his responsibility for the unnecessary destruction of the economy and disruption of everyone's life.
All of that and the fact that what Trump destroyed was PRESIDENT OBAMA'S economy which he skated on for 3 1/2 years while paying off the billionaires with $2 trillion in tax cuts.
In case people didn't hear him the first time, Navarro repeated his chorus like a choir in church.
"It's going to be a long process because of the structural adjustments that are going to take place as we adapt to the virus socially and culturally and economically, but this Great Depression pity party i saw yesterday, this ain't that," he declared. "And we have a great president here who built up this economy once and he can do it again and will do it again."
Except he didn't do it the first time and he won't do it again. We already know there are small mom-and-pop businesses which will not come back, factories are closing for good, and there are no guarantees we won't have to lock down for a second round because of the ineptness of this White House and their inattention to the very real crisis facing us today.


crooksandliars--2020-05-11--Trump Advisor Says He Has 'Luxury Of A Moment' To 'Think About' State Bailouts

Kevin Hassett , smug a-hole economist for the Jared Kushner White House , thinks he and Steve Mnuchin have `` the luxury of a moment '' to wait to bail out COVID-destroyed state budgets .
Host Jake Tapper asked Hassett if state governors like Ohio 's Mike DeWine can `` count on the Trump administration to get him the money that Ohio needs ?
Can the other governors count on it ? ''
HASSETT : Right .
Well -- well , where we are right now in the White House is that we have got a bunch of economies around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , around the world , starting to turn the lights back on .
We 're watching what happens both to economic activity and , frankly , to the path of disease as that happens , and so that we expect that , very quickly , we will have a picture about how quickly we can recover , whether we might have to slow the recovery back down because the disease is spreading and so on .
And I think that it 's just premature .
Given that the $ 9 trillion of aid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , given that that is still out there , and there 's still a bunch of it that 's going to be delivered over the next month , we think that we have a little moment , the luxury of a moment , to learn about what 's going on , so that the next step that we take can be prudent .
Secretary Mnuchin made efforts so that the monies we have already passed to the state can be used for first responders .
I think that was an important bit of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And , of course , if we go to a phase four deal , I think that President Trump has signaled that , while he does n't want to bail out the states , he 's willing to help cover some of the unexpected COVID expenses that might have come their way .
And so I think , right now , the key is to watch the data and to make sure that the next move is as smart as the previous three .
Hassett has a lot of nerve telling Governors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the `` luxury of a moment '' when he ca n't go into his office because of the virus .
If you want to read more about what an incompetent , yet highly confident , douchebag Kevin Hassett is , check out this Paul Krugman column .
He 's right out of the Laffler Curve School , and of course , Laffler is in the White House , too .
When he 's not avoiding it due to the virus .

Kevin Hassett, smug a-hole economist for the Jared Kushner White House, thinks he and Steve Mnuchin have "the luxury of a moment" to wait to bail out COVID-destroyed state budgets.
Host Jake Tapper asked Hassett if state governors like Ohio's Mike DeWine can "count on the Trump administration to get him the money that Ohio needs? Can the other governors count on it?"
Transcript via CNN:
HASSETT: Right. Well -- well, where we are right now in the White House is that we have got a bunch of economies around the country, and really, frankly, around the world, starting to turn the lights back on. We're watching what happens both to economic activity and, frankly, to the path of disease as that happens, and so that we expect that, very quickly, we will have a picture about how quickly we can recover, whether we might have to slow the recovery back down because the disease is spreading and so on. And I think that it's just premature. Given that the $9 trillion of aid that passed in the last three phases, given that that is still out there, and there's still a bunch of it that's going to be delivered over the next month, we think that we have a little moment, the luxury of a moment, to learn about what's going on, so that the next step that we take can be prudent.
Secretary Mnuchin made efforts so that the monies we have already passed to the state can be used for first responders. I think that was an important bit of help that the governors were grateful for. And, of course, if we go to a phase four deal, I think that President Trump has signaled that, while he doesn't want to bail out the states, he's willing to help cover some of the unexpected COVID expenses that might have come their way. And so I think, right now, the key is to watch the data and to make sure that the next move is as smart as the previous three.
Hassett has a lot of nerve telling Governors the HE AND THE WHITE HOUSE have the "luxury of a moment" when he can't go into his office because of the virus.
WH senior adviser Kevin Hassett told me he did today's @CNNSotu interview from a "remote van" because of his possible exposure to COVID19 at the WH, "and we've taken extra precautions to keep the people who hooked up the camera safe." — Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) May 10, 2020
If you want to read more about what an incompetent, yet highly confident, douchebag Kevin Hassett is, check out this Paul Krugman column. He's right out of the Laffler Curve School, and of course, Laffler is in the White House, too. When he's not avoiding it due to the virus.


crooksandliars--2020-05-11--Republican Who Voted For Trump's Tax Scam Now Says There's 'Not Enough To Help Everyone' In Pandemic

A top Republican senator who had no qualms with voting for a $ 1.5 trillion tax cut for the rich or a multi-trillion-dollar corporate slush fund said Sunday that , as millions of people across the U.S. struggle to afford basic necessities , there is `` not enough money '' to provide relief to everyone harmed by the coronavirus pandemic .
`` There 's not enough money to help everybody hurt when you shut down the government , '' Sen. Lamar Alexander , a Tennessee Republican and chairman of the Senate Health , Education , Labor and Pensions Committee , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Meet the Press . ''
`` We have to reopen the economy , we have to do it carefully , we have to let people go back to work and earn a living , '' said Alexander .
`` And I do n't see us being able to appropriate much more money to help provide a counter to that . ''
Progressive groups and economists reacted with outrage to Alexander 's remarks , which came amid ongoing debates over the next coronavirus stimulus package as the relief provided by previous measures—such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inadequate to match the scale of the crisis .
Stephanie Kelton , professor of economics at Stony Brook University , tweeted Sunday that she `` ca n't believe we 're hearing , 'We 're out of money ' in the early stages of a crisis .
AGAIN . ''
`` The truth is , Congress can appropriate whatever it chooses , '' Kelton said .
`` It literally can not run out of money . ''
The Working Families Party said that Republicans `` took care of their billionaire buddies and Wall Street @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 're trying to say there 's 'not enough ' left to help you and your family . ''
Larry Kudlow , President Donald Trump 's top economic adviser , said Friday that formal negotiations with Congress over the next Covid-19 stimulus package have been suspended—even as other White House officials predict the U.S. unemployment rate could surpass 20 % by next month .
Under the CARES Act , which Trump signed into law in March , expanded unemployment benefits are set to expire by July 31 without additional action from Congress .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on additional relief , claiming to be concerned about the rising national debt , House Democrats are in the process of crafting their own stimulus legislation that could be unveiled as early as this week .
The package , according to Axios , is expected to include an increase in federal nutrition assistance and Medicaid funding , expanded unemployment benefits , and another round of direct stimulus payments .

A top Republican senator who had no qualms with voting for a $1.5 trillion tax cut for the rich or a multi-trillion-dollar corporate slush fund said Sunday that, as millions of people across the U.S. struggle to afford basic necessities, there is "not enough money" to provide relief to everyone harmed by the coronavirus pandemic.
"There's not enough money to help everybody hurt when you shut down the government," Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican and chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said in an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press."
"We have to reopen the economy, we have to do it carefully, we have to let people go back to work and earn a living," said Alexander. "And I don't see us being able to appropriate much more money to help provide a counter to that."
Progressive groups and economists reacted with outrage to Alexander's remarks, which came amid ongoing debates over the next coronavirus stimulus package as the relief provided by previous measures—such as expanded unemployment insurance and one-time stimulus payments—proves inadequate to match the scale of the crisis.
Stephanie Kelton, professor of economics at Stony Brook University, tweeted Sunday that she "can't believe we're hearing, 'We're out of money' in the early stages of a crisis. AGAIN."
"The truth is, Congress can appropriate whatever it chooses," Kelton said. "It literally cannot run out of money."
The Working Families Party said that Republicans "took care of their billionaire buddies and Wall Street bankers," and "now they're trying to say there's 'not enough' left to help you and your family."
"It's a lie," the group tweeted.
They took care of their billionaire buddies and Wall Street bankers. Now they're trying to say there's "not enough" left to help you and your family. It's a lie. https://t.co/XU2BIRCWSu — Working Families Party (@WorkingFamilies) May 10, 2020
Larry Kudlow, President Donald Trump's top economic adviser, said Friday that formal negotiations with Congress over the next Covid-19 stimulus package have been suspended—even as other White House officials predict the U.S. unemployment rate could surpass 20% by next month. Under the CARES Act, which Trump signed into law in March, expanded unemployment benefits are set to expire by July 31 without additional action from Congress.
As the Trump administration and Senate Republicans stall on additional relief, claiming to be concerned about the rising national debt, House Democrats are in the process of crafting their own stimulus legislation that could be unveiled as early as this week.
The package, according to Axios, is expected to include an increase in federal nutrition assistance and Medicaid funding, expanded unemployment benefits, and another round of direct stimulus payments.
Republished from Common Dreams (Jake Johnson, staff writer) under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.


crooksandliars--2020-05-11--Food Execs Asked To Remove Face Masks In Meeting With Mike Pence

A strange , but altogether unsurprising request from this administration , especially so since two of the executives were from Tyson Foods in Waterloo , Iowa .
Tyson Foods has one of the worst outbreaks of coronavirus of any meatpacking facility in the country , with over 1000 confirmed cases and several deaths among their workforce .
A show of solidarity would not have been out of place , but not so for this administration .
Tyson foods was reopened last Thursday by executive order from Trump .
MIKE PENCE WAS unmasked in Iowa on Friday , attending two events @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public health officials say masks slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus and one of the vice president ’ s aides tested positive for Covid-19 just before he departed Washington .
Two days later , the recklessness of that behavior came into sharper focus as Bloomberg News reported that Pence had decided to self-isolate at his home in Washington over the weekend — skipping a White House meeting with military leaders on Saturday — because his press secretary , Katie Miller , had tested positive for the virus on Friday .
Miller did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if his exposure to her before the trip made his self-isolation necessary the next day , that made his decision to spend Friday meeting at least 19 officials , food industry executives and religious leaders in Iowa , unmasked , all the more questionable .
What ’ s more , a live video stream of the second event Pence attended on Friday , a roundtable discussion with food industry leaders in Des Moines , showed that all five of the invited guests arrived wearing masks but were asked to remove them shortly before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Two of those executives , Ken Sullivan of Smithfield Foods and Noel White of Tyson Foods , run meatpacking plants where hundreds of workers have contracted Covid-19 , including a Tyson plant in Waterloo , Iowa where more than a third of the workforce — 1,031 people — has tested positive and at least three workers have died .
The Tyson plant in Waterloo was reopened on Thursday following an executive order from President Donald Trump that designated the meat supply “ critical infrastructure .
”

A strange, but altogether unsurprising request from this administration, especially so since two of the executives were from Tyson Foods in Waterloo, Iowa. Tyson Foods has one of the worst outbreaks of coronavirus of any meatpacking facility in the country, with over 1000 confirmed cases and several deaths among their workforce. A show of solidarity would not have been out of place, but not so for this administration. Tyson foods was reopened last Thursday by executive order from Trump.
Source: The Intercept
MIKE PENCE WAS unmasked in Iowa on Friday, attending two events without covering his face, even though public health officials say masks slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus and one of the vice president’s aides tested positive for Covid-19 just before he departed Washington.
Two days later, the recklessness of that behavior came into sharper focus as Bloomberg News reported that Pence had decided to self-isolate at his home in Washington over the weekend — skipping a White House meeting with military leaders on Saturday — because his press secretary, Katie Miller, had tested positive for the virus on Friday. Miller did not accompany Pence to Iowa, but if his exposure to her before the trip made his self-isolation necessary the next day, that made his decision to spend Friday meeting at least 19 officials, food industry executives and religious leaders in Iowa, unmasked, all the more questionable.
What’s more, a live video stream of the second event Pence attended on Friday, a roundtable discussion with food industry leaders in Des Moines, showed that all five of the invited guests arrived wearing masks but were asked to remove them shortly before the vice president joined them on stage.
Two of those executives, Ken Sullivan of Smithfield Foods and Noel White of Tyson Foods, run meatpacking plants where hundreds of workers have contracted Covid-19, including a Tyson plant in Waterloo, Iowa where more than a third of the workforce — 1,031 people — has tested positive and at least three workers have died. The Tyson plant in Waterloo was reopened on Thursday following an executive order from President Donald Trump that designated the meat supply “critical infrastructure.”


crooksandliars--2020-05-11--Mike's Blog Round Up

Mike's Blog Round Up

Balkinization : Consider Michael Flynn ’ s windfall benefits in black and white .
Echidne of the Snakes : Consider @ @ @ @ @ newspaper editorial boards are not calling for Trump ’ s resignation .
Mock , Paper @ @ @ @ @ robot overlords monitoring our social distancing compliance .
Brad Delong : Consider American job losses @ @ @ @ @ to every post-World War II recession .
Speaking of which , your quote of the @ @ @ @ @ be the greatest jobs president God ever created . ''
( Donald Trump , June @ @ @ @ @ Guest blogging Mike 's Blog Round Up this week is Jon Perr from Perrspectives .
@ @ @ @ @ , comments and angst to mbru AT crooksandliars DOT com .

Balkinization: Consider Michael Flynn’s windfall benefits in black and white.
Echidne of the Snakes: Consider why the nation’s newspaper editorial boards are not calling for Trump’s resignation.
Mock, Paper, Scissors: Consider our robot overlords monitoring our social distancing compliance.
Brad Delong: Consider American job losses during the COVID-19 pandemic relative to every post-World War II recession.
Speaking of which, your quote of the day:
"I will be the greatest jobs president God ever created." (Donald Trump, June 16, 2015.)
Guest blogging Mike's Blog Round Up this week is Jon Perr from Perrspectives. Send your tips, recommendations, comments and angst to mbru AT crooksandliars DOT com.


crooksandliars--2020-05-11--John Oliver Asks Us All To Buy His Stamps And Stand Up For The U.S. Postal Service

I live in the town where Benjamin Franklin ( the first Postmaster General ) came up with the vision of a national postal service available to all , and I 'm furious that Trump is trying so hard to break it .
So is John Oliver .
Via the Hollywood Reporter : John Oliver said on Sunday night 's Last Week Tonight that it is n't email or the Internet that has hurt the U.S .
Postal Service 's bottom line .
In fact , he said , it 's a law called the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2006 , according to some observers .
The law requires the USPS to prepay health care benefits for retirees on a 50-year schedule , starting with an `` aggressive obligation '' of setting aside over $ 5 billion a year for 10 years .
The law also put price caps on first-class mail , liming the Postal Service 's ability to bring in more money .
After it was passed , the USPS went from generating a yearly profit to losing money every year ; it reported a net income fo $ 900 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of $ 3.8 billion in 2009 .
Oliver cited data estimating that 74 percent of the USPS ' net losses since the law passed .
`` At the worst possible time , this American institution is on the brink of collapse , '' Oliver said .
Oliver also noted that companies like UPS and Federal Express contract the USPS to deliver packages in rural areas , and added that Amazon also contacts the Postal Service to deliver its packages — which , he opined , may have something to do with why President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and unwilling to offer financial support .
`` Trump is strongly opposed to giving the USPS sufficient aid , and many believe it 's because of its relationship with Amazon , which is owned by Jeff Bezos , who also owns the Washington Post , whose political coverage is hated by the president , who , as we know , makes policy decisions based on his never-ending game of 'Six Degrees of How Is This About Me ? '
'' Oliver said .

I live in the town where Benjamin Franklin (the first Postmaster General) came up with the vision of a national postal service available to all, and I'm furious that Trump is trying so hard to break it. So is John Oliver. Via the Hollywood Reporter:
John Oliver said on Sunday night's Last Week Tonight that it isn't email or the Internet that has hurt the U.S. Postal Service's bottom line.
In fact, he said, it's a law called the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 that was passed by Congress in 2006, according to some observers. The law requires the USPS to prepay health care benefits for retirees on a 50-year schedule, starting with an "aggressive obligation" of setting aside over $5 billion a year for 10 years. The law also put price caps on first-class mail, liming the Postal Service's ability to bring in more money.
After it was passed, the USPS went from generating a yearly profit to losing money every year; it reported a net income fo $900 million in 2006 and reported a loss of $3.8 billion in 2009.
Oliver cited data estimating that 74 percent of the USPS' net losses since the law passed.
"At the worst possible time, this American institution is on the brink of collapse," Oliver said.
Oliver also noted that companies like UPS and Federal Express contract the USPS to deliver packages in rural areas, and added that Amazon also contacts the Postal Service to deliver its packages — which, he opined, may have something to do with why President Trump has been critical of the USPS and unwilling to offer financial support.
"Trump is strongly opposed to giving the USPS sufficient aid, and many believe it's because of its relationship with Amazon, which is owned by Jeff Bezos, who also owns the Washington Post, whose political coverage is hated by the president, who, as we know, makes policy decisions based on his never-ending game of 'Six Degrees of How Is This About Me?'" Oliver said.


crooksandliars--2020-05-12--The Coronavirus Pandemic Is Heading To Rural America—And Rural America Needs To Get Ready

As Donald Trump declares victory , pushing for an end to pandemic control measures even while acknowledging it will cause many more Americans to die , and Republican governors declare victory , writing pompous self-laudatory editorials while COVID-19 deaths in their own states escalate , two things are now evident .
One : The number of American deaths in the COVID-19 pandemic is about to skyrocket .
Two : It is rural America that will be doing much of the dying .
This is now all but certain .
And Americans in those smaller towns need to prepare themselves for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report gives a hard-to-stomach snapshot of the pandemic in rural southwestern Georgia .
There are not as many deaths as in New York City , but the deaths spread nonetheless , and in small towns with tighter-knit communities than the larger cities that have gotten most of the press attention in the early first wave of the pandemic , the deaths spread through families and small churches in the same proportions that they do in high-rise apartment buildings and large conference centers .
If you know someone who has died from the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ almost certain to soon know another .
And so the funerals stack up , and the gravesites fill with people you know .
A 29-year-old man whose parents died in two separate , distant hospitals because there is no longer a local one gives a reflection that should instead serve as warning : “ People you ’ re normally waving at , speaking to in passing , at the pharmacy , you ’ re never going to see them again.
” It is the people who have not lost family members and who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus can not cross to that are doing the protesting to reopen .
This includes Trump , and state governors , and people who other Americans can not meet with without an appointment and without being temperature-checked so that the virus does not spread to anyone our great economy can not afford to lose .
I never thought the virus would take someone so close to me , some of the same sign-wavers will be saying in interviews many months from now .
Because the virus was not here , I thought the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are a passionate country , to be sure , but nobody can accuse us of being too clever .
Or maybe there is another explanation : as the AP notes , the two groups most affected by the pandemic 's sweep through rural towns are Black Americans and the working poor .
There seem few representatives of either group among the sign-holding protesters demanding that their states `` reopen , '' or bellowing that an elevated number of deaths is simply a price America must pay in order to keep our businesses running @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next , based on what is happening right now .
In Grand Island , Nebraska , the rate of coronavirus infection is now substantially above that of New York City , fueled mostly by an outbreak at the local meatpacking plant .
As the Wall Street Journal reports , the city has no plans to issue shelter-in-place orders , because the town 's `` essential '' factory jobs are not ones that can be done remotely .
The county has nearly 1,300 COVID-19 infections .
This is what we ’ re currently seeing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : small towns reliant on one or a few major employers , with the rest of the town economy underpinned by those large-scale businesses , will become hotspots if and when the virus vectors itself , via a single unfortunate employee or visitor , inside .
From there the pandemic will travel to families , and to local businesses , and as in Grand Island it will be helped along by elected officials ' reluctance to close those large plants despite health officials ' urgings to do so .
The medical facilities in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quickly overrun than in urban centers .
People will die of the disease in greater proportion than they have in New York City , but those deaths will be less visible because they are in places that are far away from the cameras .
We will learn about it only later .
The most surreal part about all of it is that we know it 's going to happen .
There is no question .
The virus continues to expand into new places , as we always knew and expected it to ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delay each new hotspot so that even if individual counties became overwhelmed , we could move the patients somewhere that was not .
But it 's the places where the virus has not yet appeared that are the most irritated by lockdown orders keeping the virus from them—for a time—and in the small towns that have become hotspots due to a single major employment center , officials seem most bent on risking a few more lives to save a few more jobs .
If we 're very lucky , we can at least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a few more months .
But we have done little that would deserve such luck—and a great deal to make sure it happens sooner .

As Donald Trump declares victory, pushing for an end to pandemic control measures even while acknowledging it will cause many more Americans to die, and Republican governors declare victory, writing pompous self-laudatory editorials while COVID-19 deaths in their own states escalate, two things are now evident.
One: The number of American deaths in the COVID-19 pandemic is about to skyrocket.
Two: It is rural America that will be doing much of the dying. This is now all but certain. And Americans in those smaller towns need to prepare themselves for what's coming.
An Associated Press report gives a hard-to-stomach snapshot of the pandemic in rural southwestern Georgia. There are not as many deaths as in New York City, but the deaths spread nonetheless, and in small towns with tighter-knit communities than the larger cities that have gotten most of the press attention in the early first wave of the pandemic, the deaths spread through families and small churches in the same proportions that they do in high-rise apartment buildings and large conference centers. If you know someone who has died from the pandemic, in these towns, you are almost certain to soon know another.
And so the funerals stack up, and the gravesites fill with people you know. A 29-year-old man whose parents died in two separate, distant hospitals because there is no longer a local one gives a reflection that should instead serve as warning: “People you’re normally waving at, speaking to in passing, at the pharmacy, you’re never going to see them again.”
It is the people who have not lost family members and who believe themselves to live in areas the virus cannot cross to that are doing the protesting to reopen. This includes Trump, and state governors, and people who other Americans cannot meet with without an appointment and without being temperature-checked so that the virus does not spread to anyone our great economy cannot afford to lose. I never thought the virus would take someone so close to me, some of the same sign-wavers will be saying in interviews many months from now. Because the virus was not here, I thought the virus would never be here.
We are a passionate country, to be sure, but nobody can accuse us of being too clever. Or maybe there is another explanation: as the AP notes, the two groups most affected by the pandemic's sweep through rural towns are Black Americans and the working poor. There seem few representatives of either group among the sign-holding protesters demanding that their states "reopen," or bellowing that an elevated number of deaths is simply a price America must pay in order to keep our businesses running.
Here is what will be happening next, based on what is happening right now. In Grand Island, Nebraska, the rate of coronavirus infection is now substantially above that of New York City, fueled mostly by an outbreak at the local meatpacking plant. As the Wall Street Journal reports, the city has no plans to issue shelter-in-place orders, because the town's "essential" factory jobs are not ones that can be done remotely. The county has nearly 1,300 COVID-19 infections.
This is what we’re currently seeing, and will be seeing more of: small towns reliant on one or a few major employers, with the rest of the town economy underpinned by those large-scale businesses, will become hotspots if and when the virus vectors itself, via a single unfortunate employee or visitor, inside. From there the pandemic will travel to families, and to local businesses, and as in Grand Island it will be helped along by elected officials' reluctance to close those large plants despite health officials' urgings to do so.
The medical facilities in those small towns—if any exist—will be more quickly overrun than in urban centers. People will die of the disease in greater proportion than they have in New York City, but those deaths will be less visible because they are in places that are far away from the cameras. We will learn about it only later.
The most surreal part about all of it is that we know it's going to happen. There is no question. The virus continues to expand into new places, as we always knew and expected it to; the purpose of the lockdowns was to delay each new hotspot so that even if individual counties became overwhelmed, we could move the patients somewhere that was not. But it's the places where the virus has not yet appeared that are the most irritated by lockdown orders keeping the virus from them—for a time—and in the small towns that have become hotspots due to a single major employment center, officials seem most bent on risking a few more lives to save a few more jobs.
If we're very lucky, we can at least put off this new rural wave for a few more months. But we have done little that would deserve such luck—and a great deal to make sure it happens sooner.
Posted with permission from Daily Kos.


crooksandliars--2020-05-12--National Security Lawyer Smacks Back Pathetic 'Obamagate' Distraction On Fox News

Over at State TV , Shannon Bream made the mistake of interviewing Bradley Moss , a national security lawyer , over Trump 's new `` Quick !
Look Over There !
Obama ! ''
thing he is calling `` Obamagate . ''
Now , notice , Trump can not even articulate ... well , anything ... but sure as hell ca n't explain what he is saying Pres .
Obama did that is so egregious as to merit a -gate suffix , let alone a crime .
( See Monday 's disaster of a press conference for proof . )
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , though , and Bradley Moss just slammed it back in her face .
MOSS : I 'm sitting here trying to figure out , what exactly Constitutional deprivation was there ?
What is the crime that people think that Barack Obama and Joe Biden are going to be prosecuted under ?
To be clear , and this is using the words of president Trump and his lawyers for the last three years , any sitting president can get any classified information they want , according to Donald Trump , they can launch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tell the FBI to pursue only certain individuals .
This is not me saying it .
This is what Donald Trump 's been saying for three years .
This was their argument during the Mueller probe .
This was their argument during the impeachment investigation , that the president has this kind of authority .
So what did we find out ?
That Barack Obama was aware of intelligence intercepts on the Russian ambassador when he was talking to General Flynn , that there had just been an attack on our election a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we were still dealing with the fallout of Russian election interference in 2016 ?
There was a concern about a counterintelligence problem with MIchael Flynn , and they had a discussion ?
I 'm shocked .
I ca n't believe that they had that conversation !
What is the crime ?
BREAM : Well , we 're gon na have to leave it there , but I will tell you that the nugget I have for you tonight is that a list of people who were within the Obama administration who were unmasking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's been declassified and given to the attorney general , we 'll see what happens with it next , but I got ta imagine there are gon na be a lot of names we recognize on that list .
MOSS : Which they 're allowed to do .
Oh , that was beautiful .
Do n't you love it when people use the Orange Twatwaffle 's own words and strategies to metaphorically strangle him and his @ ss-kissing sycophants ?
Especially at the end .
Bream tries it again , like , `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they were unMASKING people , and they worked for OBAMA , and MOM has it , so THERE , '' and Moss just shrugs , like , `` Dude .
They 're allowed to do that ... still waiting to hear what the crime was ... ''

Over at State TV, Shannon Bream made the mistake of interviewing Bradley Moss, a national security lawyer, over Trump's new "Quick! Look Over There! Obama!" thing he is calling "Obamagate." Now, notice, Trump cannot even articulate...well, anything...but sure as hell can't explain what he is saying Pres. Obama did that is so egregious as to merit a -gate suffix, let alone a crime. (See Monday's disaster of a press conference for proof.)
Bream tried to succeed where Trump failed, though, and Bradley Moss just slammed it back in her face.
MOSS: I'm sitting here trying to figure out, what exactly Constitutional deprivation was there? What is the crime that people think that Barack Obama and Joe Biden are going to be prosecuted under? To be clear, and this is using the words of president Trump and his lawyers for the last three years, any sitting president can get any classified information they want, according to Donald Trump, they can launch any investigation they want, they can tell the FBI to pursue only certain individuals. This is not me saying it. This is what Donald Trump's been saying for three years. This was their argument during the Mueller probe. This was their argument during the impeachment investigation, that the president has this kind of authority. So what did we find out? That Barack Obama was aware of intelligence intercepts on the Russian ambassador when he was talking to General Flynn, that there had just been an attack on our election a couple of months earlier, and that we were still dealing with the fallout of Russian election interference in 2016? There was a concern about a counterintelligence problem with MIchael Flynn, and they had a discussion? I'm shocked. I can't believe that they had that conversation! What is the crime? BREAM: Well, we're gonna have to leave it there, but I will tell you that the nugget I have for you tonight is that a list of people who were within the Obama administration who were unmasking Americans' names and identities, it's been declassified and given to the attorney general, we'll see what happens with it next, but I gotta imagine there are gonna be a lot of names we recognize on that list. MOSS: Which they're allowed to do.
Oh, that was beautiful. Don't you love it when people use the Orange Twatwaffle's own words and strategies to metaphorically strangle him and his @ss-kissing sycophants? Especially at the end. Bream tries it again, like, "Well there's a LIST, and they were unMASKING people, and they worked for OBAMA, and MOM has it, so THERE," and Moss just shrugs, like, "Dude. They're allowed to do that...still waiting to hear what the crime was..."


crooksandliars--2020-05-12--Romney Blasts Trump's Mission Accomplished Moment: ‘Our Testing Record Is Nothing To Celebrate’

Dr. Anthony Fauci , the federal government ’ s top infectious disease expert , told a Senate committee on Tuesday that President Barack Obama is not responsible for the current administration ’ s handling of the coronavirus pandemic .
Utah Sen. Mitt Romney ( R ) began his questioning of public health experts by noting that the Trump administration ’ s testing plan is “ nothing to celebrate.
” “ I understand politicians are going to frame data in a way that is most positive politically , ” Romney explained .
“ But of course , I don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you celebrated that we have done more tests and more tests per capita even than South Korea.
” The senator continued : “ But you ignored the fact that they accomplished theirs at the beginning of the outbreak while we treaded water during February and March .
And as a result , by March 6 , the U.S. had completed just 2,000 tests , whereas South Korea had conducted more than 140,000 tests.
” Romney went on to note that South Korea has experienced 256 deaths compared with over 80,000 deaths in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing record nothing to celebrate , ” Romney insisted .
“ The fact is their test numbers are going down , down , down , down now because they don ’ t have the kind of outbreak we have .
Ours are going up , up , up.
” The Republican senator then directed a question to Fauci .
“ Where I ’ m critical of what we ’ ve done on testing ; on vaccines , we ’ ve done a pretty darn good job , ” Romney told Fauci .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other day that President Obama is responsible for our lack of a vaccine.
” “ Dr .
Fauci , is President Obama or by extension President Trump , did he do something that made creating a vaccine less likely ?
Are either President Obama or President Trump responsible for the fact that we don ’ t have a vaccine ?
” Romney asked .
“ Not at all , ” Fauci replied .
“ Certainly President Obama nor President Trump are responsible for not having a vaccine .
”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal government’s top infectious disease expert, told a Senate committee on Tuesday that President Barack Obama is not responsible for the current administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Utah Sen. Mitt Romney (R) began his questioning of public health experts by noting that the Trump administration’s testing plan is “nothing to celebrate.”
“I understand politicians are going to frame data in a way that is most positive politically,” Romney explained. “But of course, I don’t expect that from admirals. But yesterday you celebrated that we have done more tests and more tests per capita even than South Korea.”
The senator continued: “But you ignored the fact that they accomplished theirs at the beginning of the outbreak while we treaded water during February and March. And as a result, by March 6, the U.S. had completed just 2,000 tests, whereas South Korea had conducted more than 140,000 tests.”
Romney went on to note that South Korea has experienced 256 deaths compared with over 80,000 deaths in the United States.
“I find our testing record nothing to celebrate,” Romney insisted. “The fact is their test numbers are going down, down, down, down now because they don’t have the kind of outbreak we have. Ours are going up, up, up.”
The Republican senator then directed a question to Fauci.
“Where I’m critical of what we’ve done on testing; on vaccines, we’ve done a pretty darn good job,” Romney told Fauci. “And yet, the president said the other day that President Obama is responsible for our lack of a vaccine.”
“Dr. Fauci, is President Obama or by extension President Trump, did he do something that made creating a vaccine less likely? Are either President Obama or President Trump responsible for the fact that we don’t have a vaccine?” Romney asked.
“Not at all,” Fauci replied. “Certainly President Obama nor President Trump are responsible for not having a vaccine.”


crooksandliars--2020-05-12--Here Are All The Countries That Beat The U.S. In Coronavirus Testing

In the Rose Garden this Monday , President Trump talked about testing , beside banners spelling out the line of the day .
Have we tested more than any other country ?
It depends on how that 's measured .
In raw numbers , no nation has tested more , according to Worldometer -- the U.S. has conducted 9,705,424 coronavirus tests .
But we 've managed to test a much lower percentage of our population than many other nations .
Some are much smaller nations , but others , while not as populous as America , are quite large .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ people , the U.S. has tested 29,321 .
Here 's a complete of all the nations that have done better , along with their ratios of tests per million : Maybe it 's not appropriate to compare the U.S. to tiny countries like San Marino or the Faeroe Islands -- but it 's perfectly appropriate to compare us to Iceland , Denmark , Israel , Spain , Portugal , Belgium , Ireland , Italy , Norway , Germany , Canada , and other developed countries that are testing a greater ( in some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citizens .
No , we do n't lead the world in testing .

In the Rose Garden this Monday, President Trump talked about testing, beside banners spelling out the line of the day.
Have we tested more than any other country? It depends on how that's measured. In raw numbers, no nation has tested more, according to Worldometer -- the U.S. has conducted 9,705,424 coronavirus tests.
But we've managed to test a much lower percentage of our population than many other nations. Some are much smaller nations, but others, while not as populous as America, are quite large.
On the scale of tests per million people, the U.S. has tested 29,321. Here's a complete of all the nations that have done better, along with their ratios of tests per million:
Faeroe Islands: 172,932 tests per million
Iceland: 158,816
Gibraltar: 123,327
United Arab Emirates: 121,330
Falkland Islands: 115,517
Bahrain: 111,176
Malta: 98,285
Luxembourg: 88,525
San Marino: 87,973
Bermuda: 72,080
Lithuania: 68,532
Cayman Islands: 63,708
Cyprus: 63,062
Denmark: 56,379
Mauritius: 54,863
Israel: 53,902
Spain: 52,781
Portugal: 50,767
Belgium: 50,451
Estonia: 48,219
Kuwait: 45,988
Qatar: 45,485
Isle of Man: 44,371
Ireland: 43,493
Italy: 43,112
Latvia: 40,901
New Zealand: 40,270
Russia: 38,625
Norway: 37,399
Brunei: 36,658
Switzerland: 36,144
Austria: 35,473
Australia: 33,534
Germany: 32,891
Channel Islands: 30,725
Slovenia: 30,480
Canada: 30,099
Singapore: 30,016
Maybe it's not appropriate to compare the U.S. to tiny countries like San Marino or the Faeroe Islands -- but it's perfectly appropriate to compare us to Iceland, Denmark, Israel, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Germany, Canada, and other developed countries that are testing a greater (in some cases far greater) percentage of their citizens. No, we don't lead the world in testing.


crooksandliars--2020-05-12--In The Name Of Unity, Tucker Carlson Launches Racial Attacks On Joy Reid And Don Lemon

Even on Fox News , Carlson stands out for his malice and divisiveness , often in matters involving race and ethnicity .
So his opening remarks , which served as a pretext for the Reid and Lemon smears , might have caused a giant coffee spray in living rooms across America .
At least in living rooms where anyone with even the weakest of BS detectors was watching .
… CARLSON : If there ’ s anything positive to come out of the tragedy , it is the renewed closeness that many Americans suddenly feel with one another .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people in charge .
This is an election year , remember and they profit most when we are divided against each other .
Encouraging us to hate our neighbors takes the focus off of their many failures .
Was Carlson referring to his spread of racist disinformation that resulted in crucial pandemic research getting halted ?
His desire for Americans to face death in order to go back to work and help Trump get his economy going again – even as Carlson works remotely ?
No , Carlson was thinking of two African @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the middle of the pandemic forces workers who can ’ t work at home to choose between illness and starvation – which disproportionately hurts black and brown people .
Instead of trying to understand either 's point of view , , Carlson went straight to race baiting : CARLSON : On Friday , one anchor over at CNN decided that the real lesson of this pandemic is that we need more racial division .
Carlson played a clip of Lemon noting the disproportionate number of African Americans suffering from COVID-19 and asking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about opening up this country and rebuilding the economy if you ’ re going to rebuild the economy on our backs when we are the people who are dying ?
” Before he got to Reid , Carlson baselessly accused her network , MSNBC , of trying to distract from the fact that New York State prosecutors are investigating sexual abuse at the network .
This from the guy who completely erased Roger Ailes ’ sexual predations at Fox when he died .
CARLSON : So they turn their entire hour over on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who spins lunatic conspiracy theories about plots against citizens based on their skin color .
Every week .
Carlson played a clip of Reid blasting conservatives “ at least among a certain cohort of white guys ” who think it is their “ God-given right ” to go to hair salons , restaurants , golf courses , etc .
and that “ those rights which they claim were conferred upon them by God require a disproportionately black and brown labor force to return to work … and risk death in order to serve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives.
” With his furrowed brow and a hushed voice designed to simulate thoughtfulness , Carlson sounded like a classic case of projection .
CARLSON : None of that is true .
It ’ s vicious .
NBC knows it ’ s not true but telling the truth isn ’ t the point of the segment .
The point is to make us paranoid and divided .
That ’ s always the point .
[ There ’ s ] a theme here , which is the media would very much like Americans to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each other .
Why do you think they push that so often ?
Carlson asked that last question to guest Zaid Jilani , a freelance journalist formerly of The Intercept .
You ’ d think Jilani would know enough and have enough journalistic integrity to confront Carlson on his phony-baloney unity charade .
But no .
Jilani explicitly validated it with comments such as , “ I think cherrypicking statistics to kind of focus social concern only on one group risks dividing us at a time when we have to be united and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials who are failing on the job.
” Jilani must have really made Carlson ’ s day by saying that the suicide rate for whites is much greater than for other groups but we don ’ t call it a “ white issue.
” At one point , Carlson was so excited by Jilani ’ s comments that he interrupted to say , “ The real inequality is economic and it ’ s wrecking the country , in my opinion .
They never talk about that .
Why is that ?
” But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without a racial agenda , can see that economic inequality was the point of both Reid 's and Lemon ’ s comments .
They just made the added point that economic inequality inordinately harms people of color .
It says a lot that neither Carlson nor Jilani disproved that point .
But Jilani went on to attack Lemon for using the word “ we ” when he is young , healthy and well off .
And Carlson ended the discussion by calling Jilani “ so smart .
”

Even on Fox News, Carlson stands out for his malice and divisiveness, often in matters involving race and ethnicity. So his opening remarks, which served as a pretext for the Reid and Lemon smears, might have caused a giant coffee spray in living rooms across America. At least in living rooms where anyone with even the weakest of BS detectors was watching.
… CARLSON: If there’s anything positive to come out of the tragedy, it is the renewed closeness that many Americans suddenly feel with one another. That’s threatening to some of the people in charge. This is an election year, remember and they profit most when we are divided against each other. Encouraging us to hate our neighbors takes the focus off of their many failures.
Was Carlson referring to his spread of racist disinformation that resulted in crucial pandemic research getting halted? His desire for Americans to face death in order to go back to work and help Trump get his economy going again – even as Carlson works remotely?
No, Carlson was thinking of two African American hosts who know that reopening businesses in the middle of the pandemic forces workers who can’t work at home to choose between illness and starvation – which disproportionately hurts black and brown people.
Instead of trying to understand either's point of view,, Carlson went straight to race baiting:
CARLSON: On Friday, one anchor over at CNN decided that the real lesson of this pandemic is that we need more racial division.
Carlson played a clip of Lemon noting the disproportionate number of African Americans suffering from COVID-19 and asking, “Why should African Americans care about opening up this country and rebuilding the economy if you’re going to rebuild the economy on our backs when we are the people who are dying?”
Before he got to Reid, Carlson baselessly accused her network, MSNBC, of trying to distract from the fact that New York State prosecutors are investigating sexual abuse at the network. This from the guy who completely erased Roger Ailes’ sexual predations at Fox when he died.
CARLSON: So they turn their entire hour over on the weekends to an open race hater who spins lunatic conspiracy theories about plots against citizens based on their skin color. Every week.
Carlson played a clip of Reid blasting conservatives “at least among a certain cohort of white guys” who think it is their “God-given right” to go to hair salons, restaurants, golf courses, etc. and that “those rights which they claim were conferred upon them by God require a disproportionately black and brown labor force to return to work … and risk death in order to serve them and return them to their comfortable lives.”
With his furrowed brow and a hushed voice designed to simulate thoughtfulness, Carlson sounded like a classic case of projection.
CARLSON: None of that is true. It’s vicious. NBC knows it’s not true but telling the truth isn’t the point of the segment. The point is to make us paranoid and divided. That’s always the point. … [There’s] a theme here, which is the media would very much like Americans to be divided into categories and to hate each other. Why do you think they push that so often?
Carlson asked that last question to guest Zaid Jilani, a freelance journalist formerly of The Intercept. You’d think Jilani would know enough and have enough journalistic integrity to confront Carlson on his phony-baloney unity charade. But no. Jilani explicitly validated it with comments such as, “I think cherrypicking statistics to kind of focus social concern only on one group risks dividing us at a time when we have to be united and it also risks redirecting us from government officials who are failing on the job.”
Jilani must have really made Carlson’s day by saying that the suicide rate for whites is much greater than for other groups but we don’t call it a “white issue.”
At one point, Carlson was so excited by Jilani’s comments that he interrupted to say, “The real inequality is economic and it’s wrecking the country, in my opinion. They never talk about that. Why is that?”
But really, anyone with any sense, without a racial agenda, can see that economic inequality was the point of both Reid's and Lemon’s comments. They just made the added point that economic inequality inordinately harms people of color. It says a lot that neither Carlson nor Jilani disproved that point.
But Jilani went on to attack Lemon for using the word “we” when he is young, healthy and well off. And Carlson ended the discussion by calling Jilani “so smart.”


crooksandliars--2020-05-12--Dr. Fauci Slaps Reality Across Rand Paul's Face On Sending Kids Back To School

During today 's Senate hearing with Dr. Anthony Fauci , Senator Rand Paul said he 's willing to gamble with the lives of children by sending them back to school in the Fall .
Dr. Fauci slapped some reality across his face .
Senator Paul used his time to subtly attack Dr. Fauci .
haranguing about children .
school , the virus , and mortality rates .
Rand Paul used statistics from other countries like Sweden to determine that the death total was acceptable for sending kids back to school .
Fox News hosts have been bashing Dr. Fauci as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making government policy decisions during the pandemic .
And some are actually blaming Fauci for the horrendous initial response to the coronavirus by Trump .
Rand Paul denigrated Dr. Fauci and other medical experts , saying people make `` wrong predictions '' and he admonished Fauci to have more `` humility in that we know what 's best for the economy . ''
`` As much as I respect you Dr. Fauci , I do n't think you 're the end-all , I do n't think you 're the one person that gets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Sen. Paul continued , `` We can listen to your advice but there 's people on the other side saying there 's not going to be a surge . ''
Senator Paul never said who those `` people on the other side '' are , or even if they are medical doctors and virologists .
`` I think it 's a huge mistake if we do n't open up schools in the fall , '' he said .
Dr. Fauci asked to have his time extended so he could respond and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , `` I 'd never made himself out to be the end-all be-all , and the only voice in this .
I speak only as a public health official .
I give advice according to the best scientific evidence . ''
He made clear there are other people that are part of the process .
`` I do n't give advice about economic things .
I do n't give advice about anything other than public health , '' Dr. Fauci said .
Then he discussed the term , `` humble '' and said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about this virus and we really better be very careful particularly when it comes to children , because the more and more we learn , we 're seeing things about what this virus can do that we did n't see from the studies in China or in Europe .
He further explained , `` Right now [ some ] children presenting with COVID 19 have a very strange inflammatory syndrome very similar to Kawasaki syndrome .
He continued , `` I think we better be careful if we are not cavalier in thinking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deleterious effects . ''
He agreed that children seem to do better in general than adults , the elderly , and those with underlying conditions , but ... '' I 'm very careful and hopefully humble in knowing that I do n't know everything about this disease and that 's why I am very reserved in making broad predictions , '' Dr. Fauci said .
Whose kids are Senator Rand Paul comfortable gambling with ?
Whose children is he willing to sacrifice ?

During today's Senate hearing with Dr. Anthony Fauci, Senator Rand Paul said he's willing to gamble with the lives of children by sending them back to school in the Fall. Dr. Fauci slapped some reality across his face.
Senator Paul used his time to subtly attack Dr. Fauci. haranguing about children. school, the virus, and mortality rates.
Rand Paul used statistics from other countries like Sweden to determine that the death total was acceptable for sending kids back to school.
Fox News hosts have been bashing Dr. Fauci as being "too in charge," making government policy decisions during the pandemic. And some are actually blaming Fauci for the horrendous initial response to the coronavirus by Trump.
Rand Paul denigrated Dr. Fauci and other medical experts, saying people make "wrong predictions" and he admonished Fauci to have more "humility in that we know what's best for the economy."
"As much as I respect you Dr. Fauci, I don't think you're the end-all, I don't think you're the one person that gets to make a decision," he said.
Sen. Paul continued, "We can listen to your advice but there's people on the other side saying there's not going to be a surge."
Senator Paul never said who those "people on the other side" are, or even if they are medical doctors and virologists.
"I think it's a huge mistake if we don't open up schools in the fall," he said.
Dr. Fauci asked to have his time extended so he could respond and was so granted.
Dr. Fauci replied, "I'd never made himself out to be the end-all be-all, and the only voice in this. I speak only as a public health official. I give advice according to the best scientific evidence."
He made clear there are other people that are part of the process.
"I don't give advice about economic things. I don't give advice about anything other than public health," Dr. Fauci said.
Then he discussed the term, "humble" and said, "We don't know everything about this virus and we really better be very careful particularly when it comes to children, because the more and more we learn, we're seeing things about what this virus can do that we didn't see from the studies in China or in Europe.
He further explained, "Right now [some] children presenting with COVID 19 have a very strange inflammatory syndrome very similar to Kawasaki syndrome.
He continued, "I think we better be careful if we are not cavalier in thinking that children are completely immune to the deleterious effects."
He agreed that children seem to do better in general than adults, the elderly, and those with underlying conditions, but ...
"I'm very careful and hopefully humble in knowing that I don't know everything about this disease and that's why I am very reserved in making broad predictions," Dr. Fauci said.
Whose kids are Senator Rand Paul comfortable gambling with?
Whose children is he willing to sacrifice?


crooksandliars--2020-05-12--Trump Flips Out Over New Voting Location In Minority Area For CA 25 Special Election

A new polling station has been opened in Lancaster , California for the upcoming special election to fill Rep. Katie Hill 's vacated seat .
Lancaster is a district that has a large black population so Trump decided they should n't be allowed to vote .
The Racist in chief lies ( as he usually does ) by claiming it 's the most Democratic area in the State which is nonsense .
Donald is either too stupid to know or does know and is lying for the hell of it because CA25 has a Republican mayor and two Republican representatives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ color of their skin and it 's not white .
Lancaster , like the rest of the 25th district .
has been trending more Democratic .
However , it is not the most Democratic area in California , as Trump suggests .
In the state legislature , Lancaster is represented by two Republicans , and the mayor , Rex Parris , is a Republican .
American democracy depends on the availability of Americans to cast their vote , and Republicans have always done everything they could to squash turnout as much as possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And Trump has told the American people how much he despises mail-in votes as well .
“ I think that mail-in voting is a terrible thing , ” Trump said in early April .
“ I think if you vote , you should go .
...
There ’ s a lot of dishonesty going on with mail-in voting , mail-in ballots.
” Trump does n't want mail-in voting OR in-person polling places , so how does anyone vote in the special election ?
Trump would rather anoint all congresspeople instead of having the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seems .
Democratic candidate Christy Smith voiced her concerns about Trump 's racist intentions , `` The president does n't want a majority African American , Latino community to vote . ''
The only voters Trump appeals to are his racist base , so any chance he has to promote a conspiracy theory regarding `` rigged elections '' ?
He 's right there .

Donald Trump attacks the American voting process, again.
A new polling station has been opened in Lancaster, California for the upcoming special election to fill Rep. Katie Hill's vacated seat.
Lancaster is a district that has a large black population so Trump decided they shouldn't be allowed to vote.
So in California, the Democrats, who fought like crazy to get all mail in only ballots, and succeeded, have just opened a voting booth in the most Democrat area in the State. They are trying to steal another election. It’s all rigged out there. These votes must not count. SCAM! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 9, 2020
The Racist in chief lies (as he usually does) by claiming it's the most Democratic area in the State which is nonsense.
Donald is either too stupid to know or does know and is lying for the hell of it because CA25 has a Republican mayor and two Republican representatives, but all he sees is the color of their skin and it's not white.
Lancaster, like the rest of the 25th district. has been trending more Democratic. However, it is not the most Democratic area in California, as Trump suggests. In the state legislature, Lancaster is represented by two Republicans, and the mayor, Rex Parris, is a Republican.
American democracy depends on the availability of Americans to cast their vote, and Republicans have always done everything they could to squash turnout as much as possible as we've seen throughout our history
And Trump has told the American people how much he despises mail-in votes as well.
“I think that mail-in voting is a terrible thing,” Trump said in early April. “I think if you vote, you should go. ...There’s a lot of dishonesty going on with mail-in voting, mail-in ballots.”
Trump doesn't want mail-in voting OR in-person polling places, so how does anyone vote in the special election?
Trump would rather anoint all congresspeople instead of having the American people vote for them, it seems.
Democratic candidate Christy Smith voiced her concerns about Trump's racist intentions, "The president doesn't want a majority African American, Latino community to vote."
The only voters Trump appeals to are his racist base, so any chance he has to promote a conspiracy theory regarding "rigged elections"? He's right there.


crooksandliars--2020-05-12--Trump Attacks, Scarborough Retorts By Telling Him To 'Turn Off The TV' And Maybe Do Some Work

Kurt Bardella said the headlines from Dr. Anthony Fauci 's appearance before a Senate hearing today will propbably contradict Trump , `` Which frankly might mean by the end of the week , Dr. Fauci might not have a job , the way Donald Trump operates . ''
`` The thing is , what Republicans need to be careful about , is that before they start attacking the libtards , start attacking with conspiracy theories , Dr. Fauci plays off his testimony , they need to understand this , '' Scarborough said .
`` The White House plan , quote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , quote , 'have a downward trajectory of positive tests or a downward trajectory of documented cases of coronavirus over two weeks , while conducting the robust contact tracing and surveillance testing of asymptomatic people . '
Asymptomatic people , not what Donald Trump said yesterday .
Asymptomatic people in vulnerable populations , such as nursing homes .
Again , who was the libtard that wrote up these guidelines , that approved these guidelines and announced them to America ?
Donald J. Trump , the guy that 's chased off the stage by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ referring to yesterday 's press conference .
`` I mean , he gets upset , makes racist comments to American reporters who grew up in West Virginia . ''
Bardella interjected that Trump just tweeted about Scarborough .
`` Donald , I 'm going to ask you one more time .
If you could , Donald -- for your sake , Donald , as I 've been saying for years , for your sake and the sake of America , you need to stop watching our show .
Okay ?
It 's not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , calling Trump 'distracted . '
`` Johns Hopkins says we 're 131 out of 140 countries measured .
Not tied with Germany for first .
131 out of 140 countries in deaths per 100,000 .
The matrix , the measurement that you say is the most important measurement .
Why do n't you stop tweeting ?
Why do n't you turn off the television , and why do n't you start working , okay ?
`` You do your job , we 'll do ours .
America will be much better off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off the TV , Donald . ''

Kurt Bardella said the headlines from Dr. Anthony Fauci's appearance before a Senate hearing today will propbably contradict Trump, "Which frankly might mean by the end of the week, Dr. Fauci might not have a job, the way Donald Trump operates."
"The thing is, what Republicans need to be careful about, is that before they start attacking the libtards, start attacking with conspiracy theories, Dr. Fauci plays off his testimony, they need to understand this," Scarborough said.
"The White House plan, quote, Opening Up America. States should, quote, 'have a downward trajectory of positive tests or a downward trajectory of documented cases of coronavirus over two weeks, while conducting the robust contact tracing and surveillance testing of asymptomatic people.' Asymptomatic people, not what Donald Trump said yesterday. Asymptomatic people in vulnerable populations, such as nursing homes. Again, who was the libtard that wrote up these guidelines, that approved these guidelines and announced them to America? Donald J. Trump, the guy that's chased off the stage by women reporters," he said, referring to yesterday's press conference.
"I mean, he gets upset, makes racist comments to American reporters who grew up in West Virginia."
Bardella interjected that Trump just tweeted about Scarborough.
When will they open a Cold Case on the Psycho Joe Scarborough matter in Florida. Did he get away with murder? Some people think so. Why did he leave Congress so quietly and quickly? Isn’t it obvious? What’s happening now? A total nut job! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2020
"Donald, I'm going to ask you one more time. If you could, Donald -- for your sake, Donald, as I've been saying for years, for your sake and the sake of America, you need to stop watching our show. Okay? It's not good for you," Scarborough said, calling Trump 'distracted.'
"Johns Hopkins says we're 131 out of 140 countries measured. Not tied with Germany for first. 131 out of 140 countries in deaths per 100,000. The matrix, the measurement that you say is the most important measurement. Why don't you stop tweeting? Why don't you turn off the television, and why don't you start working, okay?
"You do your job, we'll do ours. America will be much better off for that. Just go. Turn off the TV, Donald."