crooksandliars--2020-11-14--We Have A New President But The Nightmare Isn't Over

On Saturday , November 7 , just before Noon , four days after Election Day , after Pennsylvania ’ s votes put him over the 270 mark , the election was finally called by both the AP and CNN : Former Vice President Joe Biden beat out the incumbent , Donald Trump , to become President-Elect Joe Biden .
I don ’ t have to tell you that I was ecstatic .
It appeared all week that this would be the outcome but with every passing day the doubts grew .
Not that the count would be wrong but that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way to delegitimize the people ’ s choice .
They gutted the Voting Rights Act .
They sabotaged the Postal Service .
They closed polling places , purged voter rolls , attacked mail voting , tried to throw out ballots .
And yet voters turned out in record numbers to overcome these barriers & make their voices heard .
So here we are , sure it has happened , but on tenterhooks because the Big Baby in the White House refuses to accept that his tantrums haven ’ t worked and he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ date .
This morning we woke up to the news that Arizona has finally called it for Joe Biden .
That puts him at 290 electoral votes , well over the 270 needed for a win .
Five million more voters checked the box next to Joe ’ s name than they did for Trump .
Top election officials said yesterday , “ The November 3rd election was the most secure in American history ” .
Yet Donald Trump refuses to concede and all but a handful of Republican Party leaders are unconscionably @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe Biden at all , they ’ ve done it secretly , passing the message along to a Democrat who then passes it along to Joe Biden .
The Republicans are miserable cowards , held captive by a man who is wholly unworthy , increasingly unhinged , and a danger to the security of the country .
In refusing to acknowledge the inevitable they ’ ve prevented the Biden team from beginning the all-important transition to the presidency .
Biden should be receiving daily intelligence briefings by now .
He needs to know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world he ’ ll have to deal with .
He ’ s being shut out and nobody can predict when or even if he ’ ll be let in .
This is the kind of third-world stuff tin pot dictators try to foist off on their country .
We keep saying we ’ re not that country but where ’ s the proof ?
We ’ re looking more and more like it .
For all intents , Donald Trump has given up all pretense of leadership , wobbly and wacky as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up in the White House , grieving , no doubt , and , if he has any sense at all , scared out of his mind .
In two months he ’ ll lose the protection of the presidency and become a private citizen .
Justice is waiting for him .
So are his creditors .
There appears to be nothing but ruination ahead .
His bombast , his lies , may finally let him down .
He botched the coronavirus pandemic so badly we ’ re counting deaths in the hundreds of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Early in the year he bragged about being in complete control of the virus and he would never let anything bad happen .
It happened and he refuses to take the blame .
But we expect this from Trump .
He ’ s incorrigible .
He ’ ll never change .
The blame now is on the Republicans .
They ’ ve had the power to control this scourge for the entire four years this obviously unfit pretender has been in office .
They have the power to insist on getting intelligence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the power to legitimize the election and begin a smooth transition .
They have the power to force Trump to concede .
They could put into action their notorious unity — to a person — and end this travesty today .
Why won ’ t they ?
Is it their fear of losing their power ?
What good is that power if they refuse to use it for the good of the country ?
Are they hiding secrets ?
If so , do they really think they can hide them forever ?
Are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ base ?
Do they know if they give in to them they become their base ?
They ’ ll have to pander to them forever .
Trump ’ s bad guys with the big guns are rallying at the National Mall in DC tomorrow — armed militias , white nationalists , conspiracy theorists , all gathering to scare the country into believing that their president has been wronged and the illegitimate Democrats are fomenting civil war .
This is the climate Trump encourages .
He lives for this .
So nobody believes the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us on January 20 .
Nothing magical will happen , even if the Democrats should win the two Senate seats still up in the air in Georgia .
The Biden administration , the Democrats , will still be fighting against Trump ’ s citizen troops , knowing that every win for them will further enrage a massive frothing crowd that will never believe their administration won fair and square .
I ’ m all for celebrating our victories , but I can ’ t yet celebrate a return to any kind of normalcy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inherit a mess .
They know that .
WE know that .
And while they ’ re working to get a pandemic under control , to slow nature ’ s move toward destroying us , to force our weakened courts to practice justice , to create good paying jobs and rebuild a strong middle class , they ’ ll be fighting against those forces still convinced they can create a theocratic oligarchy , intent on keeping the masses controlled and subservient .
And through it all the specter of Donald Trump will haunt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with us yet .
This is our history now and it ’ s one for the books .

On Saturday, November 7, just before Noon, four days after Election Day, after Pennsylvania’s votes put him over the 270 mark, the election was finally called by both the AP and CNN : Former Vice President Joe Biden beat out the incumbent, Donald Trump, to become President-Elect Joe Biden.
I don’t have to tell you that I was ecstatic. It appeared all week that this would be the outcome but with every passing day the doubts grew. Not that the count would be wrong but that the Trump regime would figure out a way to delegitimize the people’s choice.
As Ari Berman wrote on Twitter:
They gutted the Voting Rights Act. They sabotaged the Postal Service. They closed polling places, purged voter rolls, attacked mail voting, tried to throw out ballots. And yet voters turned out in record numbers to overcome these barriers & make their voices heard.
So here we are, sure it has happened, but on tenterhooks because the Big Baby in the White House refuses to accept that his tantrums haven’t worked and he’s on a time-out with no end date.
This morning we woke up to the news that Arizona has finally called it for Joe Biden. That puts him at 290 electoral votes, well over the 270 needed for a win. Five million more voters checked the box next to Joe’s name than they did for Trump. Top election officials said yesterday, “The November 3rd election was the most secure in American history”. Yet Donald Trump refuses to concede and all but a handful of Republican Party leaders are unconscionably silent. If they’ve congratulated Joe Biden at all, they’ve done it secretly, passing the message along to a Democrat who then passes it along to Joe Biden.
The Republicans are miserable cowards, held captive by a man who is wholly unworthy, increasingly unhinged, and a danger to the security of the country. In refusing to acknowledge the inevitable they’ve prevented the Biden team from beginning the all-important transition to the presidency. Biden should be receiving daily intelligence briefings by now. He needs to know before he takes over just what in the world he’ll have to deal with. He’s being shut out and nobody can predict when or even if he’ll be let in.
This is the kind of third-world stuff tin pot dictators try to foist off on their country. We keep saying we’re not that country but where’s the proof? We’re looking more and more like it.
For all intents, Donald Trump has given up all pretense of leadership, wobbly and wacky as it was. He’s holed up in the White House, grieving, no doubt, and, if he has any sense at all, scared out of his mind. In two months he’ll lose the protection of the presidency and become a private citizen. Justice is waiting for him. So are his creditors. There appears to be nothing but ruination ahead. His bombast, his lies, may finally let him down.
He botched the coronavirus pandemic so badly we’re counting deaths in the hundreds of thousands, the cases in the multi-millions. Early in the year he bragged about being in complete control of the virus and he would never let anything bad happen. It happened and he refuses to take the blame.
But we expect this from Trump. He’s incorrigible. He’ll never change. The blame now is on the Republicans. They’ve had the power to control this scourge for the entire four years this obviously unfit pretender has been in office. They have the power to insist on getting intelligence briefings to President-Elect Biden. They have the power to legitimize the election and begin a smooth transition. They have the power to force Trump to concede. They could put into action their notorious unity — to a person — and end this travesty today.
Why won’t they? Is it their fear of losing their power? What good is that power if they refuse to use it for the good of the country? Are they hiding secrets? If so, do they really think they can hide them forever? Are they afraid of Trump’s rabid base? Do they know if they give in to them they become their base? They’ll have to pander to them forever.
Trump’s bad guys with the big guns are rallying at the National Mall in DC tomorrow — armed militias, white nationalists, conspiracy theorists, all gathering to scare the country into believing that their president has been wronged and the illegitimate Democrats are fomenting civil war. This is the climate Trump encourages. He lives for this.
So nobody believes the fairy tale that calm will be upon us on January 20. Nothing magical will happen, even if the Democrats should win the two Senate seats still up in the air in Georgia. The Biden administration, the Democrats, will still be fighting against Trump’s citizen troops, knowing that every win for them will further enrage a massive frothing crowd that will never believe their administration won fair and square.
I’m all for celebrating our victories, but I can’t yet celebrate a return to any kind of normalcy. Biden, et al, will inherit a mess. They know that. WE know that. And while they’re working to get a pandemic under control, to slow nature’s move toward destroying us, to force our weakened courts to practice justice, to create good paying jobs and rebuild a strong middle class, they’ll be fighting against those forces still convinced they can create a theocratic oligarchy, intent on keeping the masses controlled and subservient.
And through it all the specter of Donald Trump will haunt us. He’s not finished with us yet. This is our history now and it’s one for the books.
(Cross-posted at Ramona's Voices)


crooksandliars--2020-11-14--More Than 130 Secret Service Officers Are Out Of Action Thanks To Team Trump's Superspreading Habits

It seems like half of Team Trump has COVID-19 at any one time , but Donald Trump ’ s traveling superspreader bubble doesn ’ t just affect people who are choosing to participate in it .
More than 130 Secret Service officers are reportedly quarantining either because they ’ ve already tested positive or because they have been exposed to the coronavirus .
That ’ s about 10 % of the security team at the Secret Service , The Washington Post reports , and it comes as President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris should be getting added protection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officers is very problematic , ” a “ former senior Secret Service supervisor ” told the Post .
“ That does not bode well for White House security.
” As of now , White House chief of staff Mark Meadows , Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson , and Trump advisers Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie are infected , as are at least eight Republican National Committee staffers , including that organization ’ s chief of staff .
Trump ’ s campaign rallies—crowded events at which many people went maskless—have been responsible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of course Secret Service officers had to be at every single one of those rallies as well as more generally around Trump ’ s aides and advisers and hangers-on who refused to wear masks because the boss man doesn ’ t like it .
The moment Trump most directly showed his contempt for the lives of the people who protect his life came when he himself was hospitalized for COVID-19 , when he went out on a joy ride in an SUV—with his Secret Service detail shut up in the vehicle with him—to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moment was a crystallization of the consistent lack of care for the health of his supporters , his staff , and even his nearest and dearest that Trump has shown throughout the pandemic .

It seems like half of Team Trump has COVID-19 at any one time, but Donald Trump’s traveling superspreader bubble doesn’t just affect people who are choosing to participate in it. More than 130 Secret Service officers are reportedly quarantining either because they’ve already tested positive or because they have been exposed to the coronavirus. That’s about 10% of the security team at the Secret Service, The Washington Post reports, and it comes as President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris should be getting added protection.
“Being down more than 100 officers is very problematic,” a “former senior Secret Service supervisor” told the Post. “That does not bode well for White House security.”
As of now, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, and Trump advisers Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie are infected, as are at least eight Republican National Committee staffers, including that organization’s chief of staff.
Trump’s campaign rallies—crowded events at which many people went maskless—have been responsible for at least 700 deaths. And of course Secret Service officers had to be at every single one of those rallies as well as more generally around Trump’s aides and advisers and hangers-on who refused to wear masks because the boss man doesn’t like it.
The moment Trump most directly showed his contempt for the lives of the people who protect his life came when he himself was hospitalized for COVID-19, when he went out on a joy ride in an SUV—with his Secret Service detail shut up in the vehicle with him—to wave to his supporters. But that moment was a crystallization of the consistent lack of care for the health of his supporters, his staff, and even his nearest and dearest that Trump has shown throughout the pandemic.
Posted with permission from Daily Kos.


crooksandliars--2020-11-14--'Good Lord, Congressman!' - Lou Dobbs Shrieks At Devin Nunes For Refusing To Save Trump

Lou Dobbs managed to make corrupt GOP Rep. Devin Nunes almost look sane in comparison when he barked at him like a rabid dog about why Republicans are n't refusing to accept the results of the presidential election and denying King Trump his god given right to a second term .
Dobbs has been pushing right wing conspiracy theories about the presidential election for the last week , and this Friday evening he browbeat Nunes , as though there 's something anyone in the House can do to prevent state governments from certifying their election results .
The only thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to beg everyone to go visit their new right-wing alternatives to YouTube and Twitter , which was n't enough to suit Dobbs : Fox Business Network host Lou Dobbs is all-in on President Donald Trump ’ s absurd , scattershot , and completely baseless conspiracy theories that he has somehow won the 2020 election — and he will accept no Republican dissent from this alternate reality .
Speaking with Congressman Devin Nunes ( R-CA ) on his show on Friday evening , the stridently pro-Trump Fox host demanded to know why the rest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to defend the president ’ s election fraud claims , even as they are refuted by his own government and continue to fall apart under the slightest scrutiny .
“ You know , the president doesn ’ t want a statue erected to him .
What he wants is a free and fair election and honest results , ” Dobbs angrily said to Nunes .
No , he just wants his head on Mount Rushmore , but do go on Lou .
“ And it ’ s being denied to him…Dobbs said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no proof to back up his false claim .
“ It ’ s outrageous , and what I — if I may — what I ’ d like to know is what in the hell is the Republican Party doing to defend and to , I mean , why not just say we ’ re not going to accept the results of this election ?
It ’ s outrageous.
” When Nunes agreed and tried to pivot to the importance of Republicans signing up for the Twitter and YouTube alternatives , Parler and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
“ Good lord , Congressman , you know , with all due respect , Congressman , and I respect the hell out of you , ” a fiery Dobbs said , breaking in again , “ the pushing Parler and Rumble is not an answer to what I ’ m asking .
You ’ ve got to have something to say and you ’ re on either one of those the , I ’ d hope there ’ d be more , I would hope there ’ d with more interest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
”

Lou Dobbs managed to make corrupt GOP Rep. Devin Nunes almost look sane in comparison when he barked at him like a rabid dog about why Republicans aren't refusing to accept the results of the presidential election and denying King Trump his god given right to a second term.
Dobbs has been pushing right wing conspiracy theories about the presidential election for the last week, and this Friday evening he browbeat Nunes, as though there's something anyone in the House can do to prevent state governments from certifying their election results.
The only thing Nunes had to offer in response was to beg everyone to go visit their new right-wing alternatives to YouTube and Twitter, which wasn't enough to suit Dobbs:
Fox Business Network host Lou Dobbs is all-in on President Donald Trump’s absurd, scattershot, and completely baseless conspiracy theories that he has somehow won the 2020 election — and he will accept no Republican dissent from this alternate reality. Speaking with Congressman Devin Nunes (R-CA) on his show on Friday evening, the stridently pro-Trump Fox host demanded to know why the rest of the GOP has not stepped up to defend the president’s election fraud claims, even as they are refuted by his own government and continue to fall apart under the slightest scrutiny. “You know, the president doesn’t want a statue erected to him. What he wants is a free and fair election and honest results,” Dobbs angrily said to Nunes.
No, he just wants his head on Mount Rushmore, but do go on Lou.
“And it’s being denied to him…Dobbs said, cutting off the Congressman while notably citing no proof to back up his false claim. “It’s outrageous, and what I — if I may — what I’d like to know is what in the hell is the Republican Party doing to defend and to, I mean, why not just say we’re not going to accept the results of this election? It’s outrageous.” When Nunes agreed and tried to pivot to the importance of Republicans signing up for the Twitter and YouTube alternatives, Parler and Rumble, Dobbs wasn’t having it. “Good lord, Congressman, you know, with all due respect, Congressman, and I respect the hell out of you,” a fiery Dobbs said, breaking in again, “the pushing Parler and Rumble is not an answer to what I’m asking. You’ve got to have something to say and you’re on either one of those the, I’d hope there’d be more, I would hope there’d with more interest in the content than in the messenger.”
Twitter had thoughts.
Im not going to retweet the clip of broken brained Devin Nunes and Lou Dobbs but needless to say they don’t feel that democracy applies to them. — Molly Jong-Fast🏡 (@MollyJongFast) November 14, 2020
Ah, yes, the powerful “We don’t agree that we lost.” gambit.
Lou Dobbs is a bloviating asshat. Devin Nunes is like his equally dumb nephew. https://t.co/l33Rsq102b — The Hoarse Whisperer (@TheRealHoarse) November 14, 2020
Hey @FoxNews - why does Lou Dobbs still have a job since he’s pushing for sedition? — Boston Frenchie 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 (@want2brd) November 13, 2020
I mean if we're not going to get the results we want, then the heck with democracy. Amirite?
The irony is that these are the folks who go around accusing everyone else of being un-American. They would have fit right in in the Soviet Union. — Colonel Dax (@ColonelDax1) November 14, 2020
Democracy was just not that into you either, Republicans. — G.deGuzman (@gdeguzman99) November 13, 2020


crooksandliars--2020-11-14--Georgia Voters Trump Accused Of Being Dead Turn Up, Very Much Alive

When Mrs. James Blalock of Covington , GA voted this year she never imagined it 'd cause so much of a ruckus that soon-to-be ex-President Trump 's campaign and Fox 's Tucker Carlson , among others on the alt-right would be talking about her vote .
Accusations of voter fraud continue to be in the headlines after last week 's general election , including the claims that people who are dead voted .
11Alive confirmed that two of the four Georgia voters the president 's campaign accused of fraudulently voting while “ dead ” are alive .
President Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ James Blalock of Covington , who is deceased , voted in the election .
“ The only problem ?
He passed away 14 years ago .
Sadly , Mr. Blalock is a victim of voter fraud , ” the tweet reads .
The accusations were amplified on national television .
“ Mr .
Blalock was a mailman for 33 years until he passed away in 2006 .
Fourteen years later , according to state records , he was still mailing things .
James Blalock cast a ballot in last week ’ s election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clip and story labeled on Fox News ' website as an opinion piece .
Seems that Agnes Blalock has always voted as Mrs James Blalock , as testified by the local registrar , and that new software just did n't pick up the prefix of Mrs. Tucker Carlson got all worked up about it a few nights ago .
The other mentioned by Carlson , a Linda Kessler did die in 2003 .
However , Lynda Kessler , with a different spelling , address , and zip code did vote and is apparently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ James Blalock cast a ballot in last week ’ s election .
How did he do that ?
Maybe he was just one of those extraordinary mail carriers ; neither rain nor snow nor gloom of night nor even death itself could keep him from the mail .
In his case , maybe voting from the grave wasn ’ t really fraud , it was just commitment , ” Carlson said .
The Trump campaign got in on this foolishness as well .
Just a comedy of errors all around .
UPDATE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issued this apology for his screw-up .
“ We ’ ve got some good news tonight , and an apology .
One of the people who voted in last week ’ s election isn ’ t dead .
James Blalock is still dead , we told you about him , but it was his wife who voted .
She voted as Mrs. James Blalock .
It ’ s old-fashioned and we missed it .
Now , a whole bunch of dead people did vote , we showed you their names , we proved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among them .
It was Mrs. James Blalock .
So apologies for that , and of course we ’ re always going to correct when we ’ re wrong .
And we were.
” And no , he did n't prove a damn thing , of course .
And he also did n't apologize for his other mistakes either .
But that 's par for the course at Fox `` News . ''

When Mrs. James Blalock of Covington, GA voted this year she never imagined it'd cause so much of a ruckus that soon-to-be ex-President Trump's campaign and Fox's Tucker Carlson, among others on the alt-right would be talking about her vote.
Source: 11 Alive, Georgia
Accusations of voter fraud continue to be in the headlines after last week's general election, including the claims that people who are dead voted. 11Alive confirmed that two of the four Georgia voters the president's campaign accused of fraudulently voting while “dead” are alive. President Donald Trump’s campaign tweeted accusations claiming that James Blalock of Covington, who is deceased, voted in the election. “The only problem? He passed away 14 years ago. Sadly, Mr. Blalock is a victim of voter fraud,” the tweet reads. The accusations were amplified on national television. “Mr. Blalock was a mailman for 33 years until he passed away in 2006. Fourteen years later, according to state records, he was still mailing things. James Blalock cast a ballot in last week’s election,” Tucker Carlson said in a clip and story labeled on Fox News' website as an opinion piece.
Seems that Agnes Blalock has always voted as Mrs James Blalock, as testified by the local registrar, and that new software just didn't pick up the prefix of Mrs.
Tucker Carlson got all worked up about it a few nights ago. The other mentioned by Carlson, a Linda Kessler did die in 2003. However, Lynda Kessler, with a different spelling, address, and zip code did vote and is apparently also very much alive as well.
“James Blalock cast a ballot in last week’s election. How did he do that? Maybe he was just one of those extraordinary mail carriers; neither rain nor snow nor gloom of night nor even death itself could keep him from the mail. In his case, maybe voting from the grave wasn’t really fraud, it was just commitment,” Carlson said.
The Trump campaign got in on this foolishness as well.
Mr. James Blalock of Covington, Georgia, a World War II veteran, voted in the election.
The only problem? He passed away 14 years ago, in January 2006.
Sadly, Mr. Blalock is a victim of voter fraud. pic.twitter.com/fcynn3fxIh — Trump War Room - Text TRUMP to 88022 (@TrumpWarRoom) November 11, 2020
Just a comedy of errors all around.
UPDATE: On Friday night, Tucker Carlson issued this apology for his screw-up.
“We’ve got some good news tonight, and an apology. One of the people who voted in last week’s election isn’t dead. James Blalock is still dead, we told you about him, but it was his wife who voted. She voted as Mrs. James Blalock. It’s old-fashioned and we missed it. Now, a whole bunch of dead people did vote, we showed you their names, we proved it, but James Blalock was not among them. It was Mrs. James Blalock. So apologies for that, and of course we’re always going to correct when we’re wrong. And we were.”
And no, he didn't prove a damn thing, of course. And he also didn't apologize for his other mistakes either. But that's par for the course at Fox "News."


crooksandliars--2020-11-14--Republican Who Lost Congressional Race Shows Up For New Member Orientation Anyway

Trump derangement syndrome is so strong in the Republican Party right now that other losers are just showing up at @ @ @ @ @ won .
Jim Oberweis Friday posted a photo of himself at the Capitol for new @ @ @ @ @ is not the projected winner of the race in Illinois ’ 14th District .
He @ @ @ @ @ another Republican , Mary Miller , who won the 15th Congressional District .
Incumbent Lauren @ @ @ @ @ .
The Associated Press called the race Thursday afternoon .
Underwood had been in a @ @ @ @ @ The AP said with all precincts reporting , Underwood had 200,638 votes , or 50.58 @ @ @ @ @ , or 49.42 percent , for Oberweis .
The difference is 4,604 .

Trump derangement syndrome is so strong in the Republican Party right now that other losers are just showing up at events as if they'd won.
Source: CBSN, Chicago
Jim Oberweis Friday posted a photo of himself at the Capitol for new member orientation, but he is not the projected winner of the race in Illinois’ 14th District.
He can be seen posing with another Republican, Mary Miller, who won the 15th Congressional District.
Incumbent Lauren Underwood is the projected winner. The Associated Press called the race Thursday afternoon. Underwood had been in a tight race with Oberweis. The AP said with all precincts reporting, Underwood had 200,638 votes, or 50.58 percent, compared with 196,034, or 49.42 percent, for Oberweis. The difference is 4,604.


crooksandliars--2020-11-14--Federal Prosecutors Tell Bill Barr To STFU On Voter Fraud

Sixteen assistant U.S. attorneys specially assigned to monitor malfeasance in the 2020 election urged Attorney General William P. Barr on Friday to rescind his recent memorandum allowing them to publicly pursue allegations of “ vote tabulation irregularities ” in certain cases before results are certified , saying they had not seen evidence of any substantial anomalies .
In a letter — an image of which was shown to The Washington Post — the assistant U.S. attorneys told Barr that the release of his Monday memorandum — which changed long-standing Justice Department policy on the steps prosecutors can take before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ thrusts career prosecutors into partisan politics.
” The signers wrote that in the places where they served as district election officers , taking in reports of possible election-related crimes , there was no evidence of the kind of fraud that Barr ’ s memo had highlighted .
Barr ’ s memo authorized prosecutors “ to pursue substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities prior to the certification of elections in your jurisdictions in certain cases , ” particularly where the outcome of an election could be affected .
“ The policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the assistant U.S. attorneys wrote .

From The Washington Post:
Sixteen assistant U.S. attorneys specially assigned to monitor malfeasance in the 2020 election urged Attorney General William P. Barr on Friday to rescind his recent memorandum allowing them to publicly pursue allegations of “vote tabulation irregularities” in certain cases before results are certified, saying they had not seen evidence of any substantial anomalies.
In a letter — an image of which was shown to The Washington Post — the assistant U.S. attorneys told Barr that the release of his Monday memorandum — which changed long-standing Justice Department policy on the steps prosecutors can take before the results of an election are certified — “thrusts career prosecutors into partisan politics.”
The signers wrote that in the places where they served as district election officers, taking in reports of possible election-related crimes, there was no evidence of the kind of fraud that Barr’s memo had highlighted. Barr’s memo authorized prosecutors “to pursue substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities prior to the certification of elections in your jurisdictions in certain cases,” particularly where the outcome of an election could be affected.
“The policy change was not based in fact,” the assistant U.S. attorneys wrote.


crooksandliars--2020-11-17--GSA Official Blocking The Biden Transition Process, Is Looking For A New Job Herself

A GSA release over a week ago cited the need for a `` clear winner '' before any funds would be released and the process allowed to begin .
But that is n't stopping Trump appointee Emily Murphy from looking for a new job herself .
Are all these Trump people liars and hypocrites ?
Of course they are .
Who would ever hire a Trump loyalist ?
I sure as **** would n't .
The top General Services Administration official who 's blocking President-elect Joe Biden 's transition team from accessing government resources ahead of his inauguration appears to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to a message obtained by ABC News .
Emily Murphy , head of the GSA , recently sent that message to an associate inquiring about employment opportunities in 2021 , a move that some in Washington interpreted as at least tacitly acknowledging that the current administration soon will be gone .
Murphy has the power to decide -- or `` ascertain '' -- when election results are evident enough to trigger a transition of power , allowing the winning team access to career staff at federal agencies and internal government information including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a COVID-19 vaccine .
Donald Trump appointed Murphy in 2017 , and she 's so far refused to certify Biden as the election 's winner as Trump attempts to overturn the election result in court .
Reviews have not been kind to @ GSAEmily .

A GSA release over a week ago cited the need for a "clear winner" before any funds would be released and the process allowed to begin. But that isn't stopping Trump appointee Emily Murphy from looking for a new job herself.
Are all these Trump people liars and hypocrites? Of course they are.
Who would ever hire a Trump loyalist? I sure as **** wouldn't.
Source: ABC News
The top General Services Administration official who's blocking President-elect Joe Biden's transition team from accessing government resources ahead of his inauguration appears to be looking for a new job, according to a message obtained by ABC News. Emily Murphy, head of the GSA, recently sent that message to an associate inquiring about employment opportunities in 2021, a move that some in Washington interpreted as at least tacitly acknowledging that the current administration soon will be gone. Murphy has the power to decide -- or "ascertain" -- when election results are evident enough to trigger a transition of power, allowing the winning team access to career staff at federal agencies and internal government information including national security matters and plans for administering a COVID-19 vaccine. Donald Trump appointed Murphy in 2017, and she's so far refused to certify Biden as the election's winner as Trump attempts to overturn the election result in court.
Reviews have not been kind to @GSAEmily.
Trump admitting that President-elect Biden won strips @GSAEmily of her cover story that the outcome of the election cannot be ascertained. If she continues beyond this morning to withhold transition resources, she will be tacitly admitting she's saboteur assaulting democracy. — Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) November 15, 2020


crooksandliars--2020-11-16--Yes, Your Brain Tricks You Into Taking Risks During The Pandemic

ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom .
Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox .
It was mid-February and Maria Konnikova — a psychologist , writer and champion poker player — was on a multicity trip .
From her hotel room in New Orleans , she called her sister , a doctor , to discuss the emerging COVID-19 pandemic .
Konnikova saw there were early cases in Los Angeles , where she was headed for a poker tournament .
The odds of Konnikova getting infected or spreading the virus by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unknown .
But as a poker player she had a lot of experience thinking through the probable risks associated with different decisions .
So she played it conservatively .
She cut short her trip and went home to quarantine in New York .
Konnikova ’ s psychology expertise tells her that most people have a hard time thinking through the uncertainty and probabilities posed by the pandemic .
People tend to learn through experience , and we ’ ve never lived through anything like COVID-19 .
Every day , people face unpleasant and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that ambiguity goes against how we tend to think .
“ The brain likes certainty , ” she said .
“ The brain likes black and white .
It wants clear answers and wants clear cause and effect .
It doesn ’ t like living in a world of ambiguities and gray zones.
” Many months into the pandemic , even as the nation faces its highest average daily case counts to date , people still don ’ t agree on how to live in the era of COVID-19 .
We know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hands , wearing masks and staying socially distant — but many people still take unnecessary risks , even at the highest levels of government .
In late September , the White House hosted an indoor party celebrating the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court .
It became a possible superspreader event because attendees did not wear masks and ignored social distancing recommendations .
Former New Jersey Gov .
Chris Christie didn ’ t wear a mask at the event .
He also went without one when he helped President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Christie later spent a week in intensive care with COVID-19 and then wrote an opinion article in The Wall Street Journal titled “ I Should Have Worn a Mask.
” “ I let my guard down , ” he wrote .
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called on Americans to wear masks in July .
So why is it so hard for people to mask up and practice other established behaviors to prevent the spread of COVID-19 ?
The problem , experts who study the way we think say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic makes us vulnerable to subtle biases that undermine how we process information and assess risk .
Our brains can play tricks on us .
That causes some people to underestimate their risk , the experts said .
When Las Vegas reopened , crowds showed up without masks .
An estimated 365,000 people attended the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota .
Many didn ’ t wear helmets or masks .
The festivities included a non-socially distanced concert by Smashmouth .
And even though masks were distributed and required at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pennsylvania , some attendees did not wear them , and the campaign packed people into crowded buses .
It may not always seem like it , but people are rational and weigh the costs and benefits when they make decisions , said Eve Wittenberg , a decision scientist at the Center for Health Decision Science at the Harvard T.H .
Chan School of Public Health .
“ People are not stupid here , ” she said .
But they have no experience thinking through a pandemic and are also getting mixed and conflicted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That creates uncertainty and can lead people to rely on patterns of risk perception that may not be accurate .
The Power of Social Norms and Personal Experience People may be more likely to participate in riskier activities because they tend to behave according to the norms that surround them , said Lisa Robinson , a senior research scientist at the Center for Health Decision Science .
If we ’ re surrounded by people who behave a certain way , she said , we are more likely to behave the same way .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ are well established .
It ’ s extremely contagious and transmitted via droplets that come from an infected person ’ s mouth or nose .
This can happen during speech , coughing , sneezing or breathing — whether a person is experiencing symptoms or not .
Older and sicker people are at higher risk of serious illness or death .
But young , healthy people can still become infected and sick , and they can also put others at risk by spreading the virus .
A well-known historical example of people being directed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
For decades the societal norm said smoking was cool , even after it was known to kill people .
That contributed to a lot of people smoking , willing to take the risk .
Then the norm flipped and smoking became uncool , and fewer people smoked .
“ We take a lot of cues from our environment , ” Robinson said .
“ If I see a lot of people wearing a mask , I wear a mask.
” Betsy Paluck , a professor of psychology and public policy at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fellow , studies how these social norms are formed and how they shift over time .
“ There ’ s a lot of competing information out there , ” Paluck said .
“ Your individual decisions are very real to you , of course , but they need to be validated by other people in your neighborhood , your organization.
” Paluck said everyone is influenced by social norms , including her .
She has a newborn and elderly parents , so she ’ s been cautious during the pandemic .
But it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as people broaden their social lives .
She talked recently to a friend who is holding her kids out of school , opting for all virtual instruction .
The friend ’ s decision felt like a huge relief because it affirmed Paluck ’ s own feelings .
It showed her how much we all rely on our shared reality .
“ Holding the line on your own is just not tenable , ” she said .
Personal experience also has an outsized role in decision-making .
People who were in the hot zones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the initial spread of COVID-19 witnessed the effects of the virus .
They may have become infected themselves or known others who became sick or even died .
They might have known health care workers who cared for the sick , potentially exposing themselves in the process .
Meanwhile , people in parts of the country that have not been hit hard by the virus might not have had that experience and therefore fail to appreciate the risk .
Poker players , along with folks like meteorologists , horse race handicappers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are routinely rewarded or punished based on the odds .
This gives them a rare visceral , experiential understanding of percentages and lets them short-circuit a cognitive effect called the “ description-experience gap , ” which leads people to underestimate risk based on their own personal experiences .
Even Nobel Prize-winning economists are susceptible to it .
The pandemic is beyond the limits of human intuition , said the psychologist and economist Daniel Kahneman on Konnikova ’ s podcast .
Wittenberg pointed to the work of Kahneman and Amos Tversky , who coined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how we base our thinking on what we ’ ve seen or experienced .
We see it show up when a person assesses his or her risk of a heart attack by recalling instances among acquaintances , the two researchers wrote in their 1974 paper , “ Judgment Under Uncertainty.
” The researchers also noted how some instances might come to mind more easily than others and thus get more heavily weighted in decision-making .
Other instances might be more salient or may have happened more frequently , so they come to mind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make decisions introduces biases , according to Kahneman and Tversky .
“ It is a common experience that the subjective probability of traffic accidents rises temporarily when one sees a car overturned by the side of the road , ” the researchers wrote .
The Need for Leaders and Institutions to Guide Us The confusion surrounding COVID-19 was magnified by a lack of testing in the early days of the pandemic and then delays in test results , Wittenberg said .
That meant people didn ’ t have clear data to anchor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for leaders to guide the public with clear public health messages , but instead they have exacerbated the problems .
It was well known relatively early in the pandemic that wearing a mask could help prevent the spread of the virus , but it took until July before Trump wore one in public for the first time .
Some governors have downplayed the risk posed by the virus , others have emphasized it .
That ’ s left the public “ grappling with mixed and conflicted messages , ” Wittenberg said .
Baruch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and decision-making at Carnegie Mellon University , said people are good at perceiving risk if they are getting information from a trustworthy source .
But the risks associated with the coronavirus , which is invisible , are not intuitive , he said .
It ’ s hard for people to project the exponential spread of the virus , he said .
Our minds don ’ t easily extrapolate it , so we need leaders to help protect us from ourselves , he said .
The situation could be compared to how the government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Drivers are good at estimating the speed of other cars .
But research from accidents at train crossings has shown that drivers are not good at estimating the speed of oncoming trains , which are much bigger .
“ Our brains are calibrated to treat a train like a car , ” he said , “ but it ’ s going faster than it looks.
” To stay safe from an oncoming train , drivers either need to go against their intuition , have someone warn them in a way they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crossing when a train approaches .
“ Somebody needs to protect you , ” he said .
Good public health communication requires testing messages to make sure they are interpreted correctly by a wide range of people , Fischhoff said .
“ Our official communicators have dropped the ball , and they have been undermined by people who don ’ t have the public ’ s interest at heart , ” he said .
Paluck , the social psychologist , said certain leaders and influencers stick out like bright colors .
They ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when we check our own behavior .
“ What they say and do becomes the anchor we use , ” she said .
People also put faith in trustworthy institutions , she said , even when they may not agree with what the institution is saying .
She and a colleague found something suprising when they studied the effect of the Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage .
A greater number of people supported same-sex marriage because of the Supreme Court ’ s decision , even if they had not changed their personal views @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bigger consensus in the United States that same-sex marriage was a good thing , ” Paluck said .
“ So that ’ s the power of an institution.
” Optimism Bias and Why Institutions Failed to Act Optimism bias is a pattern of thinking that causes our brains to see future outcomes as rosier than they really are .
It transcends gender , culture and age .
It turns out to be incredibly helpful in most situations .
There ’ s only one subset of the population that doesn ’ t experience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suffering from depression .
“ This is actually something that ’ s very psychologically protective , ” she said .
“ It ends up that seeing the world as it is makes you clinically depressed.
” When it comes to institutional behavior , however , optimism bias can lead to poor planning and risky decision-making .
Dr. Eric Toner is a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and says that the pandemic has taught him about the power of denial .
The global public health community learned in mid-January @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the novel coronavirus in Wuhan , China , Toner said .
The most obvious sign of concern , he said , came when China took the dramatic step of locking down Wuhan , one of its largest cities .
Something really bad is happening , he thought to himself .
And yet , public health officials in the United States were slow to sound an alarm .
“ People have trouble recognizing when they ’ re facing a catastrophic threat and on the other hand they exaggerate minor threats , ” Toner said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ top of the government that says this is a serious threat.
” “ Until you hear the message from somebody who is in a position of authority , I think there is a tendency to really want to not believe it .
People don ’ t want to believe really bad news.
” Toner said the Center for Health Security heard over and over again that hospital CEOs would not be convinced of the dire threat posed by the pandemic until the federal government decided to say something .
But by then much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health officials did sound an early alarm , their voices were squelched .
Dr. Nancy Messonnier , one of the senior leaders at the CDC , warned on Feb. 25 that there would be community spread of the virus , and that protective measures might include school closures and working from home .
As ProPublica previously reported , her comments caused the stock market to drop , which infuriated Trump .
Vice President Mike Pence was installed as communicator-in-chief , and the CDC officials were sidelined .
“ When it mattered most , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ senior CDC official told ProPublica .
Toner ’ s group is in charge of designing pandemic preparedness exercises .
Some of them are eerily similar to our current situation .
He said he ’ s often asked how it ’ s possible that we did all these exercises and still had such a bad response to the COVID-19 pandemic .
His answer : The exercises advanced the field , but they had their limits .
“ They didn ’ t inoculate us against really bad decision-making , ” he said .

ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
It was mid-February and Maria Konnikova — a psychologist, writer and champion poker player — was on a multicity trip. From her hotel room in New Orleans, she called her sister, a doctor, to discuss the emerging COVID-19 pandemic. Konnikova saw there were early cases in Los Angeles, where she was headed for a poker tournament.
The odds of Konnikova getting infected or spreading the virus by participating in a large indoor event were unknown. But as a poker player she had a lot of experience thinking through the probable risks associated with different decisions. So she played it conservatively. She cut short her trip and went home to quarantine in New York.
Konnikova’s psychology expertise tells her that most people have a hard time thinking through the uncertainty and probabilities posed by the pandemic. People tend to learn through experience, and we’ve never lived through anything like COVID-19. Every day, people face unpleasant and uncertain risks associated with their behavior, and that ambiguity goes against how we tend to think. “The brain likes certainty,” she said. “The brain likes black and white. It wants clear answers and wants clear cause and effect. It doesn’t like living in a world of ambiguities and gray zones.”
Many months into the pandemic, even as the nation faces its highest average daily case counts to date, people still don’t agree on how to live in the era of COVID-19. We know how to protect ourselves — washing our hands, wearing masks and staying socially distant — but many people still take unnecessary risks, even at the highest levels of government.
In late September, the White House hosted an indoor party celebrating the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. It became a possible superspreader event because attendees did not wear masks and ignored social distancing recommendations. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie didn’t wear a mask at the event. He also went without one when he helped President Donald Trump prepare for his first debate. Christie later spent a week in intensive care with COVID-19 and then wrote an opinion article in The Wall Street Journal titled “I Should Have Worn a Mask.” “I let my guard down,” he wrote.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called on Americans to wear masks in July. So why is it so hard for people to mask up and practice other established behaviors to prevent the spread of COVID-19? The problem, experts who study the way we think say, is that the unprecedented nature of the pandemic makes us vulnerable to subtle biases that undermine how we process information and assess risk. Our brains can play tricks on us. That causes some people to underestimate their risk, the experts said.
When Las Vegas reopened, crowds showed up without masks. An estimated 365,000 people attended the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota. Many didn’t wear helmets or masks. The festivities included a non-socially distanced concert by Smashmouth. And even though masks were distributed and required at a recent Trump campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, some attendees did not wear them, and the campaign packed people into crowded buses.
It may not always seem like it, but people are rational and weigh the costs and benefits when they make decisions, said Eve Wittenberg, a decision scientist at the Center for Health Decision Science at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “People are not stupid here,” she said. But they have no experience thinking through a pandemic and are also getting mixed and conflicted messages from leaders, she said. That creates uncertainty and can lead people to rely on patterns of risk perception that may not be accurate.
The Power of Social Norms and Personal Experience
People may be more likely to participate in riskier activities because they tend to behave according to the norms that surround them, said Lisa Robinson, a senior research scientist at the Center for Health Decision Science. If we’re surrounded by people who behave a certain way, she said, we are more likely to behave the same way.
At this point the facts about COVID-19 are well established. It’s extremely contagious and transmitted via droplets that come from an infected person’s mouth or nose. This can happen during speech, coughing, sneezing or breathing — whether a person is experiencing symptoms or not. Older and sicker people are at higher risk of serious illness or death. But young, healthy people can still become infected and sick, and they can also put others at risk by spreading the virus.
A well-known historical example of people being directed by social norms is smoking, Robinson said. For decades the societal norm said smoking was cool, even after it was known to kill people. That contributed to a lot of people smoking, willing to take the risk. Then the norm flipped and smoking became uncool, and fewer people smoked. “We take a lot of cues from our environment,” Robinson said. “If I see a lot of people wearing a mask, I wear a mask.”
Betsy Paluck, a professor of psychology and public policy at Princeton University and MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, studies how these social norms are formed and how they shift over time.
“There’s a lot of competing information out there,” Paluck said. “Your individual decisions are very real to you, of course, but they need to be validated by other people in your neighborhood, your organization.”
Paluck said everyone is influenced by social norms, including her. She has a newborn and elderly parents, so she’s been cautious during the pandemic. But it’s getting harder to be careful as people broaden their social lives.
She talked recently to a friend who is holding her kids out of school, opting for all virtual instruction. The friend’s decision felt like a huge relief because it affirmed Paluck’s own feelings. It showed her how much we all rely on our shared reality. “Holding the line on your own is just not tenable,” she said.
Personal experience also has an outsized role in decision-making. People who were in the hot zones of New York City and New Jersey during the initial spread of COVID-19 witnessed the effects of the virus. They may have become infected themselves or known others who became sick or even died. They might have known health care workers who cared for the sick, potentially exposing themselves in the process. Meanwhile, people in parts of the country that have not been hit hard by the virus might not have had that experience and therefore fail to appreciate the risk.
Poker players, along with folks like meteorologists, horse race handicappers and lawyers who work on a contingency basis are routinely rewarded or punished based on the odds. This gives them a rare visceral, experiential understanding of percentages and lets them short-circuit a cognitive effect called the “description-experience gap,” which leads people to underestimate risk based on their own personal experiences.
Even Nobel Prize-winning economists are susceptible to it. The pandemic is beyond the limits of human intuition, said the psychologist and economist Daniel Kahneman on Konnikova’s podcast.
Wittenberg pointed to the work of Kahneman and Amos Tversky, who coined the term “availability” to describe how we base our thinking on what we’ve seen or experienced. We see it show up when a person assesses his or her risk of a heart attack by recalling instances among acquaintances, the two researchers wrote in their 1974 paper, “Judgment Under Uncertainty.”
The researchers also noted how some instances might come to mind more easily than others and thus get more heavily weighted in decision-making. Other instances might be more salient or may have happened more frequently, so they come to mind faster. Relying on “availability” to make decisions introduces biases, according to Kahneman and Tversky. “It is a common experience that the subjective probability of traffic accidents rises temporarily when one sees a car overturned by the side of the road,” the researchers wrote.
The Need for Leaders and Institutions to Guide Us
The confusion surrounding COVID-19 was magnified by a lack of testing in the early days of the pandemic and then delays in test results, Wittenberg said. That meant people didn’t have clear data to anchor their risk assessment.
The confusion called for leaders to guide the public with clear public health messages, but instead they have exacerbated the problems. It was well known relatively early in the pandemic that wearing a mask could help prevent the spread of the virus, but it took until July before Trump wore one in public for the first time. Some governors have downplayed the risk posed by the virus, others have emphasized it. That’s left the public “grappling with mixed and conflicted messages,” Wittenberg said.
Baruch Fischhoff, a psychologist who studies risk and decision-making at Carnegie Mellon University, said people are good at perceiving risk if they are getting information from a trustworthy source. But the risks associated with the coronavirus, which is invisible, are not intuitive, he said. It’s hard for people to project the exponential spread of the virus, he said. Our minds don’t easily extrapolate it, so we need leaders to help protect us from ourselves, he said.
The situation could be compared to how the government protects people at train crossings, Fischhoff said. Drivers are good at estimating the speed of other cars. But research from accidents at train crossings has shown that drivers are not good at estimating the speed of oncoming trains, which are much bigger. “Our brains are calibrated to treat a train like a car,” he said, “but it’s going faster than it looks.”
To stay safe from an oncoming train, drivers either need to go against their intuition, have someone warn them in a way they will remember or have something block the crossing when a train approaches. “Somebody needs to protect you,” he said.
Good public health communication requires testing messages to make sure they are interpreted correctly by a wide range of people, Fischhoff said. “Our official communicators have dropped the ball, and they have been undermined by people who don’t have the public’s interest at heart,” he said.
Paluck, the social psychologist, said certain leaders and influencers stick out like bright colors. They’re charismatic and we look to them when we check our own behavior. “What they say and do becomes the anchor we use,” she said.
People also put faith in trustworthy institutions, she said, even when they may not agree with what the institution is saying. She and a colleague found something suprising when they studied the effect of the Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage. A greater number of people supported same-sex marriage because of the Supreme Court’s decision, even if they had not changed their personal views. “They thought that there was a bigger consensus in the United States that same-sex marriage was a good thing,” Paluck said. “So that’s the power of an institution.”
Optimism Bias and Why Institutions Failed to Act
Optimism bias is a pattern of thinking that causes our brains to see future outcomes as rosier than they really are. It transcends gender, culture and age. It turns out to be incredibly helpful in most situations. There’s only one subset of the population that doesn’t experience optimism bias, Konnikova said — people suffering from depression.
“This is actually something that’s very psychologically protective,” she said. “It ends up that seeing the world as it is makes you clinically depressed.”
When it comes to institutional behavior, however, optimism bias can lead to poor planning and risky decision-making.
Dr. Eric Toner is a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and says that the pandemic has taught him about the power of denial. The global public health community learned in mid-January about the extent of community transmission of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China, Toner said. The most obvious sign of concern, he said, came when China took the dramatic step of locking down Wuhan, one of its largest cities. Something really bad is happening, he thought to himself.
And yet, public health officials in the United States were slow to sound an alarm. “People have trouble recognizing when they’re facing a catastrophic threat and on the other hand they exaggerate minor threats,” Toner said. “We needed messaging from the top of the government that says this is a serious threat.”
“Until you hear the message from somebody who is in a position of authority, I think there is a tendency to really want to not believe it. People don’t want to believe really bad news.”
Toner said the Center for Health Security heard over and over again that hospital CEOs would not be convinced of the dire threat posed by the pandemic until the federal government decided to say something. But by then much time had been lost.
When public health officials did sound an early alarm, their voices were squelched. Dr. Nancy Messonnier, one of the senior leaders at the CDC, warned on Feb. 25 that there would be community spread of the virus, and that protective measures might include school closures and working from home. As ProPublica previously reported, her comments caused the stock market to drop, which infuriated Trump. Vice President Mike Pence was installed as communicator-in-chief, and the CDC officials were sidelined. “When it mattered most, they shut us up,” a senior CDC official told ProPublica.
Toner’s group is in charge of designing pandemic preparedness exercises. Some of them are eerily similar to our current situation. He said he’s often asked how it’s possible that we did all these exercises and still had such a bad response to the COVID-19 pandemic. His answer: The exercises advanced the field, but they had their limits. “They didn’t inoculate us against really bad decision-making,” he said.


crooksandliars--2020-11-16--Violence Breaks Out After Dark In D.C. As MAGA Marchers Bring Thug Tactics To The Capital

The anti-democratic strategy concocted and nurtured by the radical right over the past four years—organize busfuls of out-of-town far-right thugs to invade liberal urban centers in order to engage in faux “ protests ” primarily designed to spark violence—came to the nation ’ s capital this weekend .
The results were as ugly as they were predictable .
Following Saturday ’ s “ Million MAGA March ” featuring thousands of far-right extremists commingling with ordinary Donald Trump supporters as they marched to proclaim ( with only conspiracy theories for evidence ) that Trump and not Joe Biden had won the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hate-group street-brawlers—Proud Boys , American Guard , Oath Keepers , and Groypers—took to the streets of Washington , D.C. , provoking fights and aggressively assaulting counter-protesters .
This is a well-established pattern , one we have seen evolving and being perfected by the radical right since early 2017—primarily in liberal urban centers such as Portland , Oregon ; Seattle ; and the Bay Area .
The politics of violent confrontation this strategy manifests may have reached a kind of dark fruition on Saturday , with a large helping hand from Trump himself , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thugs he had told on national television to “ stand down and stand by.
” The violence was not pronounced during the daytime at the event , despite some fighting that broke out between anti-Trump protesters and rally participants .
However , after most of the rally—estimated to have numbered in the tens of thousands—had cleared away by evening , large clusters of Proud Boys and other violent pro-Trump brawlers took to the streets of downtown Washington and began engaging in a variety of forms of violence : punching , shoving , kicking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Metro Police devoted most of their energy to restraining the anti-Trump bloc .
According to the Washington Post , some 20 people were arrested , including four people on gun charges .
At least one person who was stabbed was hospitalized in serious condition .
Trump himself made clear on Twitter his view of the violence : Trump ’ s narrative—and that of Trump supporters both online and at the rally—reflected the right ’ s long-running attempt to deflect and excuse its own violence by claiming that “ the violent left ” is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a profoundly eliminationist narrative , and that tendency was omnipresent throughout the “ Million MAGA March , ” with threats to kill or deport all their political opponents a common refrain , as well as the reflexive dehumanization of their foes as verminous threats—with Trump ’ s description of antifascists as “ scum ” leading the parade .
Trump bolstered this narrative by retweeting a video posted by right-wing pseudo-journalist Andy Ngo , showing a Trump supporter being knocked out from behind by an antifascist protester .
“ Human Radical Left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Being arrested now !
” In reality , Ngo ’ s video was simply another of his selectively edited hit jobs designed to demonize antifascists .
A full video of the incident clearly shows that the man initiated the violence by punching and shoving a protester who had been using a bullhorn , then brawling with a number of other protesters , before he was finally given a knockout sucker punch .
The reality on the streets bore little resemblance to Trump ’ s narrative .
Throughout the evening , Proud @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen deliberately attacking anyone who dared protest them .
Eventually police would intervene , but they invariably directed their attention to the protesters , turning their backs on the Proud Boys , and seeming to protect them .
Some of the assaults broke out in the middle of intersections where protesters sometimes gathered .
At other times , gangs of pro-Trump rallygoers could be seen chasing individual protesters , such as this woman , down and beating them .
Proud Boys also knocked out a Black woman and left her laid out in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stabbed amid the melees was journalist Talia Jane , who said someone came up behind her and stabbed her in the ear .
Jane was also punched by a man who simply came up to her and knocked her down .
She had her wound bandaged , and continued working throughout the night .
Other journalists experienced constant harassment from the rallygoers .
MSNBC reporter Ellison Barber , at one point , was chased and followed by shouting MAGA fans : “ The crowd here is chanting ‘ fake news , fake news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Not fans of ours , as you can tell .
Which that ’ s fine as long as they give us a little space.
” “ It ’ s hostile here , at least for us , ” she continued .
“ They ’ re following us and chasing us as we walk further back.
” And while the right loves to portray antifascists as vandals who damaged property during protests , there was no shortage of that behavior from the pro-Trump crowd on Saturday .
During the day , umasked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signs on a Black Lives Matter memorial project affixed to the White House border wall—and appeared to have the protection of Metro Police in doing so .
During the evening , a crowd of pro-Trump rallygoers were filmed tearing down six large Black Lives Matter signs on the front of the Laborers International Union of North America building , near McPherson Square , as police stood by and watched .
They also stomped on and destroyed other BLM signs that they found .
The eliminationist rhetoric reached a fever pitch on the Proud @ @ @ @ @ @ @ words and actions on the street .
Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio posted an overt threat on Parler : “ DC antifa ends tonight , ” he wrote .
At the @ ProudBoysUncensored account , the mask came off altogether , as they extolled a violent neo-Nazi fantasy : The “ day of the rope ” is a reference to white supremacists ’ long-hoped-for racial war , the blueprint for which remains The Turner Diaries , a neo-Nazi “ novel ” that depicts , among other things , a day in which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all American “ race traitors ” from lampposts in a single day .
Similar sentiments could be heard from the mouths of MAGA fans throughout the day Saturday .
“ It was not a Million MAGA on the streets of DC today , but it would be catastrophic to not take what happened today seriously , ” commented researcher Devin Burghart of the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights , who was present for the events .
“ This is a beginning , not the end .
We 're witnessing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far-right forces into mass opposition .
”

The anti-democratic strategy concocted and nurtured by the radical right over the past four years—organize busfuls of out-of-town far-right thugs to invade liberal urban centers in order to engage in faux “protests” primarily designed to spark violence—came to the nation’s capital this weekend. The results were as ugly as they were predictable.
Following Saturday’s “Million MAGA March” featuring thousands of far-right extremists commingling with ordinary Donald Trump supporters as they marched to proclaim (with only conspiracy theories for evidence) that Trump and not Joe Biden had won the presidential election, the large contingent of hate-group street-brawlers—Proud Boys, American Guard, Oath Keepers, and Groypers—took to the streets of Washington, D.C., provoking fights and aggressively assaulting counter-protesters.
This is a well-established pattern, one we have seen evolving and being perfected by the radical right since early 2017—primarily in liberal urban centers such as Portland, Oregon; Seattle; and the Bay Area. The politics of violent confrontation this strategy manifests may have reached a kind of dark fruition on Saturday, with a large helping hand from Trump himself, who tweeted out encouragement to the same thugs he had told on national television to “stand down and stand by.”
The violence was not pronounced during the daytime at the event, despite some fighting that broke out between anti-Trump protesters and rally participants. However, after most of the rally—estimated to have numbered in the tens of thousands—had cleared away by evening, large clusters of Proud Boys and other violent pro-Trump brawlers took to the streets of downtown Washington and began engaging in a variety of forms of violence: punching, shoving, kicking, and stabbing protesters, even as Metro Police devoted most of their energy to restraining the anti-Trump bloc.
According to the Washington Post, some 20 people were arrested, including four people on gun charges. At least one person who was stabbed was hospitalized in serious condition.
Trump himself made clear on Twitter his view of the violence:
ANTIFA SCUM ran for the hills today when they tried attacking the people at the Trump Rally, because those people aggressively fought back. Antifa waited until tonight, when 99% were gone, to attack innocent #MAGA People. DC Police, get going — do your job and don’t hold back!!!
Trump’s narrative—and that of Trump supporters both online and at the rally—reflected the right’s long-running attempt to deflect and excuse its own violence by claiming that “the violent left” is responsible for inciting it all. It’s a profoundly eliminationist narrative, and that tendency was omnipresent throughout the “Million MAGA March,” with threats to kill or deport all their political opponents a common refrain, as well as the reflexive dehumanization of their foes as verminous threats—with Trump’s description of antifascists as “scum” leading the parade.
Trump bolstered this narrative by retweeting a video posted by right-wing pseudo-journalist Andy Ngo, showing a Trump supporter being knocked out from behind by an antifascist protester. “Human Radical Left garbage did this,” Trump wrote. “Being arrested now!”
In reality, Ngo’s video was simply another of his selectively edited hit jobs designed to demonize antifascists. A full video of the incident clearly shows that the man initiated the violence by punching and shoving a protester who had been using a bullhorn, then brawling with a number of other protesters, before he was finally given a knockout sucker punch.
The reality on the streets bore little resemblance to Trump’s narrative. Throughout the evening, Proud Boys and other pro-Trump brawlers could be seen deliberately attacking anyone who dared protest them. Eventually police would intervene, but they invariably directed their attention to the protesters, turning their backs on the Proud Boys, and seeming to protect them.
Some of the assaults broke out in the middle of intersections where protesters sometimes gathered. At other times, gangs of pro-Trump rallygoers could be seen chasing individual protesters, such as this woman, down and beating them. Proud Boys also knocked out a Black woman and left her laid out in the street.
One of the people stabbed amid the melees was journalist Talia Jane, who said someone came up behind her and stabbed her in the ear. Jane was also punched by a man who simply came up to her and knocked her down. She had her wound bandaged, and continued working throughout the night.
Other journalists experienced constant harassment from the rallygoers. MSNBC reporter Ellison Barber, at one point, was chased and followed by shouting MAGA fans: “The crowd here is chanting ‘fake news, fake news,'” Barber told her audience. “Not fans of ours, as you can tell. Which that’s fine as long as they give us a little space.”
“It’s hostile here, at least for us,” she continued. “They’re following us and chasing us as we walk further back.”
And while the right loves to portray antifascists as vandals who damaged property during protests, there was no shortage of that behavior from the pro-Trump crowd on Saturday.
During the day, umasked MAGA fans could be seen tearing down signs on a Black Lives Matter memorial project affixed to the White House border wall—and appeared to have the protection of Metro Police in doing so.
During the evening, a crowd of pro-Trump rallygoers were filmed tearing down six large Black Lives Matter signs on the front of the Laborers International Union of North America building, near McPherson Square, as police stood by and watched. They also stomped on and destroyed other BLM signs that they found.
The eliminationist rhetoric reached a fever pitch on the Proud Boys’ social-media channels that mirrored their words and actions on the street. Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio posted an overt threat on Parler: “DC antifa ends tonight,” he wrote.
At the @ProudBoysUncensored account, the mask came off altogether, as they extolled a violent neo-Nazi fantasy:
This is just the beginning. Anti fascist Marxists will no longer hold this nation hostage.Anti fascists will no longer be safe while they’re terrorizing cities.The pendulum is swinging back and the day of the rope is coming for every single violent marxist in this nation.
The “day of the rope” is a reference to white supremacists’ long-hoped-for racial war, the blueprint for which remains The Turner Diaries, a neo-Nazi “novel” that depicts, among other things, a day in which an angry society rises up and lynches all American “race traitors” from lampposts in a single day. Similar sentiments could be heard from the mouths of MAGA fans throughout the day Saturday.
“It was not a Million MAGA on the streets of DC today, but it would be catastrophic to not take what happened today seriously,” commented researcher Devin Burghart of the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights, who was present for the events. “This is a beginning, not the end. We're witnessing the initial coalescing of a wide range of far-right forces into mass opposition.”
Republished with permission from Daily Kos.


crooksandliars--2020-11-16--President-Elect Biden, VP-Elect Harris Deliver Remarks On The Economy

Today , the president-elect and vice president-elect will meet with business and labor leaders to discuss the economic recovery and @ @ @ @ @ long term .
He 'll bring together leaders from business and labor to discuss how @ @ @ @ @ - we can work together to reach our common goals .
President-elect Biden will deliver @ @ @ @ @ and businesses can operate safely and rebuilding our economy to be more resilient and inclusive @ @ @ @ @ discuss how our economy and the virus are intertwined , and say that we must @ @ @ @ @ to get our economy back on track .
• Brian Cornell , CEO and Chairman @ @ @ @ @

(It's scheduled to start now but they're usually late.)
Via The Transition Team:
Today, the president-elect and vice president-elect will meet with business and labor leaders to discuss the economic recovery and building back better in the long term. He'll bring together leaders from business and labor to discuss how - despite our different perspectives - we can work together to reach our common goals. President-elect Biden will deliver remarks on ensuring our workers and businesses can operate safely and rebuilding our economy to be more resilient and inclusive. And, he'll discuss how our economy and the virus are intertwined, and say that we must contain the virus in order to get our economy back on track.
Participants in the briefing:


crooksandliars--2020-11-16--Trump's Lead COVID Task Force Doc Calls For Insurrection Against Michigan

Dr. Scott Atlas , who has taken over as the public face of Trump 's COVID task force , tweeted out on Sunday that the people of Michigan should rise up against Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer 's plans to quell the coronavirus .
Dr. Atlas is not a immunologist and was a nobody before Tucker Carlson started putting him on Fox primetime to denigrate CDC guidelines like wearing masks .
That made him worthy of a Covid taskforce position in the stable genius administration .
Atlas tweeted on Sunday that the people of Michigan should refuse to comply with Gov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from contracting the virus .
As an FYI to this moron , the governor of Michigan was targeted in a kidnapping plot planned by right-wing extremists earlier this year , which if had been successful , may have resulted in her death .
But this fraud tells the people of Michigan to `` rise up '' against Gov .
Whitmer .
Dr. Atlas later came back on Twitter and said he was n't talking about violence .
Dr. Atlas tried to incite the people of Michigan to act against the wishes of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at risk .
His prescriptions to combat the virus since Trump plucked him from FOX News have been disastrous , as the entire nation is exploding with new coronavirus cases at an alarming rate which is resulting in more and more deaths from COVID .
On CNN this morning , medical analyst Jonathan Reiner called Dr. Atlas a `` menace '' and `` it 's another thing to advocate insurrection . ''

Dr. Scott Atlas, who has taken over as the public face of Trump's COVID task force, tweeted out on Sunday that the people of Michigan should rise up against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's plans to quell the coronavirus.
The only way this stops is if people rise up. You get what you accept. #FreedomMatters #StepUp https://t.co/8QKBszgKTM — Scott W. Atlas (@ScottWAtlas) November 15, 2020
Dr. Atlas is not a immunologist and was a nobody before Tucker Carlson started putting him on Fox primetime to denigrate CDC guidelines like wearing masks. That made him worthy of a Covid taskforce position in the stable genius administration.
Atlas tweeted on Sunday that the people of Michigan should refuse to comply with Gov. Whitmer's plans prevent her constituents from contracting the virus.
As an FYI to this moron, the governor of Michigan was targeted in a kidnapping plot planned by right-wing extremists earlier this year, which if had been successful, may have resulted in her death.
But this fraud tells the people of Michigan to "rise up" against Gov. Whitmer.
Dr. Atlas later came back on Twitter and said he wasn't talking about violence.
Riiight.
Dr. Atlas tried to incite the people of Michigan to act against the wishes of the Governor and that puts the entire state at risk.
His prescriptions to combat the virus since Trump plucked him from FOX News have been disastrous, as the entire nation is exploding with new coronavirus cases at an alarming rate which is resulting in more and more deaths from COVID.
On CNN this morning, medical analyst Jonathan Reiner called Dr. Atlas a "menace" and "it's another thing to advocate insurrection."
That sums Dr. Atlas up perfectly.


crooksandliars--2020-11-16--Doh! State GOP Leaders Say They Will Not Flip Electoral Delegates For Trump

[ Above : Somebody should put this song by They Might Be Giants on blast for Stable Genius . ]
Hey President Twenty-Fifth Amendment !
GOP leaders in AZ , MI , PA , and WI say they wo n't break state law and replace voter 's choice with Trump electors because that 's both ILLEGAL and CHEATING .
The Associated Press reports : Republican leaders in four critical states won by President-elect Joe Biden say they won ’ t participate in a legally dubious scheme to flip their state ’ s electors to vote for President Donald Trump .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ plot some Republicans floated as a last chance to keep Trump in the White House .
State GOP lawmakers in Arizona , Michigan , Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have all said they would not intervene in the selection of electors , who ultimately cast the votes that secure a candidate ’ s victory .
Such a move would violate state law and a vote of the people , several noted .
“ I do not see , short of finding some type of fraud — which I haven ’ t heard of anything — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any serious way addressing a change in electors , ” said Rusty Bowers , Arizona ’ s Republican House speaker , who says he ’ s been inundated with emails pleading for the legislature to intervene .
“ They are mandated by statute to choose according to the vote of the people.
” Shut it down , pack it up , move him out .

[Above: Somebody should put this song by They Might Be Giants on blast for Stable Genius.]
Hey President Twenty-Fifth Amendment! GOP leaders in AZ, MI, PA, and WI say they won't break state law and replace voter's choice with Trump electors because that's both ILLEGAL and CHEATING. The Associated Press reports:
Republican leaders in four critical states won by President-elect Joe Biden say they won’t participate in a legally dubious scheme to flip their state’s electors to vote for President Donald Trump. Their comments effectively shut down a half-baked plot some Republicans floated as a last chance to keep Trump in the White House. State GOP lawmakers in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have all said they would not intervene in the selection of electors, who ultimately cast the votes that secure a candidate’s victory. Such a move would violate state law and a vote of the people, several noted. “I do not see, short of finding some type of fraud — which I haven’t heard of anything — I don’t see us in any serious way addressing a change in electors,” said Rusty Bowers, Arizona’s Republican House speaker, who says he’s been inundated with emails pleading for the legislature to intervene. “They are mandated by statute to choose according to the vote of the people.”
Shut it down, pack it up, move him out.


crooksandliars--2020-11-16--#25thAmendment Trending On Twitter As Trump Insists He Won The Election

Hey , we 've been there .
You know you 're being fired , it 's just a matter of @ @ @ @ @ .
And you may not be putting as much work into a job you know @ @ @ @ @ much longer .
But Trump is so thoroughly disengaged from his job , and so @ @ @ @ @ can to prevent the competent President-elect Biden from taking charge of Trump 's incompetent coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ is trending on Twitter this morning .
After all , Joe Biden 's lead continues @ @ @ @ @ outraged at Trump 's incompetent indifference to the raging pandemic : This one sums things @ @ @ @ @ was a snake when you took him in .
# 25thAmendment - Here 's the @ @ @ @ @ his rallies in '16 - It 's called `` The Snake '' .
The very @ @ @ @ @ story - the poem is about HIM !
Nobody who was alive in 2016 and @ @ @ @ @ campaign can say that they were not warned .
SCUMBAG !
pic.twitter.com/HST1t9eTYg

Hey, we've been there. You know you're being fired, it's just a matter of waiting for the termination offer. And you may not be putting as much work into a job you know won't be yours for much longer.
But Trump is so thoroughly disengaged from his job, and so hellbent on doing everything he can to prevent the competent President-elect Biden from taking charge of Trump's incompetent coronavirus response, that #25thAmendment is trending on Twitter this morning. After all, Joe Biden's lead continues to grow.
New: Philadelphia's newly counted provisionals today...
Biden 3,318 (84%)
Trump 596 (15%)
Biden's statewide PA lead up to 68k and continuing to rise... — Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) November 16, 2020
People are outraged at Trump's incompetent indifference to the raging pandemic:
Sad thing is, I believe Trump with transfer power to Pence before he's out of office. Might be for the last day or even a few hours. All so Pence can pardon Trump for anything
Need to make that illegal#25thAmendment — Michael Lessing (@llMichael) November 16, 2020
Republicans put this guy in charge of the nuclear codes...#25thAmendment pic.twitter.com/gx7lTwGdcT — Jack 🇺🇸😷 (@jackresists) November 16, 2020
If the #25thAmendment can't be used now to remove Trump before he destroys America, what good is the #25thAmendment ??? https://t.co/7C7nPTd5dr — StreetFighter (@ryumakaf) November 16, 2020
#25thAmendment
Trump is a national security risk. Every moment he remains in office he's a danger to this country because he
is emotionally damaged
can't put country over his own needs
is terrified about being indicted
owes a ton of money
the virus is raging & he's incompetent — HowEasyWeForget ¸¸♫·¯·♪¸¸♩·¯·♬¸¸ (@howeasyweforget) November 16, 2020
This one sums things up: You knew he was a snake when you took him in.


crooksandliars--2020-11-16--More Good News: Moderna Vaccine Data Finds Close To 95 Percent Effectiveness

Calling it “ extremely good news , '' Anthony Fauci reacts to his briefing yesterday by an independent committee on results from the Moderna coronavirus vaccine .
Via the Washington Post : Moderna ’ s vaccine , co-developed with Fauci ’ s institute , is being tested in 30,000 people .
Half received two doses of the vaccine , and half received a placebo .
To test how well the vaccine works , physicians closely monitored cases of covid-19 to see whether they predominantly occurred in people who received the placebo group .
Of the 95 cases of covid-19 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 90 were in the group that received the placebo .
There were 11 severe cases reported — all in people who received the placebo .
With cases of covid-19 confined almost exclusively to trial participants receiving a placebo , that sends a strong signal that the vaccine is effective at thwarting the virus .
The data have not yet been published or peer reviewed , and the overall effectiveness of the vaccine may change as the study continues .
But Fauci said the data on severe cases was “ quite impressive ” and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : whether a vaccine measured by its success in preventing any case of covid-19 can prevent the most urgent cases , too .

Calling it “extremely good news," Anthony Fauci reacts to his briefing yesterday by an independent committee on results from the Moderna coronavirus vaccine. Via the Washington Post:
Moderna’s vaccine, co-developed with Fauci’s institute, is being tested in 30,000 people. Half received two doses of the vaccine, and half received a placebo. To test how well the vaccine works, physicians closely monitored cases of covid-19 to see whether they predominantly occurred in people who received the placebo group.
Of the 95 cases of covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, 90 were in the group that received the placebo. There were 11 severe cases reported — all in people who received the placebo. With cases of covid-19 confined almost exclusively to trial participants receiving a placebo, that sends a strong signal that the vaccine is effective at thwarting the virus.
The data have not yet been published or peer reviewed, and the overall effectiveness of the vaccine may change as the study continues. But Fauci said the data on severe cases was “quite impressive” and effectively answers a question that has lingered: whether a vaccine measured by its success in preventing any case of covid-19 can prevent the most urgent cases, too.


crooksandliars--2020-11-16--We Need To Win The Senate Races In Georgia To Stop Mitch McConnell From Destroying The Economy

It 's been 181 days since the House passed the $ 3 trillion HEROES Act , and 42 days since the House passed a compromise $ 2.2 trillion bill , both of which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has refused to take up for a vote .
The White House has gone AWOL , with the squatter in the Oval Office refusing to do anything beyond tweeting conspiracy theories about a rigged election , while his staff tries to figure out how to cover their asses and find new jobs .
The lame duck administration has withdrawn entirely from negotiations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus reaching crisis levels in every single state in the country , McConnell is still insisting that $ 500 billion is his absolute limit , and sent Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley out to tell reporters that he `` is not going to rely on Mnuchin any more to do the dealing .
[ … ] I think he is intending to take it over and to try to get something going and get it done . ''
McConnell himself told reporters this week that `` The level at which the economy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do something at about the amount that we put on the floor in September and October . ''
The Democrats are `` still are looking at something dramatically larger .
That 's not a place I think we 're willing to go , '' he said .
Saving the country is not something he is willing to do .
Still .
We ’ re nearly nine months into this pandemic , and it ’ s taking us closer to economic collapse every day .
That economic crisis is far too real for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who are facing food insecurity and homelessness .
It 's far too real for the small business owners who employ millions around the country .
So far , something like 100,000 small businesses have been forced to close around the country .
The Paycheck Protection Program loans some got in the spring have run out and there are no other options for them right now , because Republicans want to continue to pretend that this crisis is over .
`` Many small businesses are drowning right now , '' Sung Won Sohn , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Los Angeles , told NBC .
`` They have very little financial cushion to begin with , many of them have hand-to-mouth operations , and they have no place to turn to except the government . ''
NBC profiled businesses , like an antique store in Nebraska , an oyster bar in North Carolina , music venues and bars and restaurants and delis in New Orleans and Denver and from all over the country that have had to shut down , probably for good .
According to a Yelp analysis , 60 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since March are closed for good .
Owners have had to go bankrupt , making it much harder for them to reopen again .
`` I think that permanent damage has already been done and more damage will be done unless we do something , '' Sohn said .
`` Unfortunately , Washington is gridlocked . ''
There 's a slim possibility that with the deal that has to be struck by Dec. 11 ( the deadline when government funding under the current continuing resolution runs out ) , something could be done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Committee Chairman Richard Shelby said it 's not going to be much .
`` [ W ] e 're not going to do a big big big deal .
So , mainly targeted at small business , and you know some people are hurting . ''
A big , big deal is n't even what Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are demanding : $ 2.4 trillion .
At this point , it 's going to take more along the lines of $ 10 trillion to really rescue the country .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ January or February , but how many more businesses will be lost by then ?
Not to mention lives .
That will also only happen if Democrats take the Senate with the Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock runoff elections in Georgia .
We need a breakthrough , and it ’ s just not going to happen with McConnell controlling the Senate .
There 's no way he 's going to let a Biden administration save the economy .

It's been 181 days since the House passed the $3 trillion HEROES Act, and 42 days since the House passed a compromise $2.2 trillion bill, both of which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has refused to take up for a vote. The White House has gone AWOL, with the squatter in the Oval Office refusing to do anything beyond tweeting conspiracy theories about a rigged election, while his staff tries to figure out how to cover their asses and find new jobs. The lame duck administration has withdrawn entirely from negotiations.
With new infections and deaths from coronavirus reaching crisis levels in every single state in the country, McConnell is still insisting that $500 billion is his absolute limit, and sent Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley out to tell reporters that he "is not going to rely on Mnuchin any more to do the dealing. […] I think he is intending to take it over and to try to get something going and get it done." McConnell himself told reporters this week that "The level at which the economy is improving further underscores that we need to do something at about the amount that we put on the floor in September and October." The Democrats are "still are looking at something dramatically larger. That's not a place I think we're willing to go," he said. Saving the country is not something he is willing to do. Still. We’re nearly nine months into this pandemic, and it’s taking us closer to economic collapse every day.
That economic crisis is far too real for millions of Americans out of work, who are facing food insecurity and homelessness. It's far too real for the small business owners who employ millions around the country. So far, something like 100,000 small businesses have been forced to close around the country. The Paycheck Protection Program loans some got in the spring have run out and there are no other options for them right now, because Republicans want to continue to pretend that this crisis is over.
"Many small businesses are drowning right now," Sung Won Sohn, an economist at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, told NBC. "They have very little financial cushion to begin with, many of them have hand-to-mouth operations, and they have no place to turn to except the government." NBC profiled businesses, like an antique store in Nebraska, an oyster bar in North Carolina, music venues and bars and restaurants and delis in New Orleans and Denver and from all over the country that have had to shut down, probably for good. According to a Yelp analysis, 60% of the stores that have shut down since March are closed for good. Owners have had to go bankrupt, making it much harder for them to reopen again. "I think that permanent damage has already been done and more damage will be done unless we do something," Sohn said. "Unfortunately, Washington is gridlocked."
There's a slim possibility that with the deal that has to be struck by Dec. 11 (the deadline when government funding under the current continuing resolution runs out), something could be done on COVID-19 assistance. But Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby said it's not going to be much. "[W]e're not going to do a big big big deal. So, mainly targeted at small business, and you know some people are hurting." A big, big deal isn't even what Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are demanding: $2.4 trillion. At this point, it's going to take more along the lines of $10 trillion to really rescue the country. That has a greater chance of happening in January or February, but how many more businesses will be lost by then? Not to mention lives.
That will also only happen if Democrats take the Senate with the Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock runoff elections in Georgia. We need a breakthrough, and it’s just not going to happen with McConnell controlling the Senate. There's no way he's going to let a Biden administration save the economy.
Posted with permission from Daily Kos.