crooksandliars--2020-04-30--Andrew Zimmern: Problems With Food Supply Isn't Scarcity, It's Leadership

We 've all seen the pictures .
Milk being poured out , produce rotting in the fields .
Why is this happening , and what can be done ?
Morning Joe takes a look .
Mika Brzezinski said America was already facing a food crisis .
`` There are so many Americans needing these food pantries .
but in terms of the food supply and availability of food products , where are we headed ? ''
`` Well , there 's so many different sides to this story , Mika , '' Andrew Zimmern said .
`` And it keeps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Because all of this was so easily predictable .
There is ineptitude and a failure of leadership from the AG , from the USDA , from Washington and from the White House .
There is a massive failure of leadership here .
There is a corruption issue .
There is a worker abuse issue .
`` And quite frankly , all of this was predictable and solvable .
There is technically enough food in America .
The crops rotting in the fields that we 've seen , that graphic that people are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Times about the milk and the eggs and plowed vegetables , could have been -- was anticipated .
`` It 's simply , and I know this seems very cavalier , it 's a matter of rerouting the distribution away from where that food was going , restaurants , schools and getting it to food pantries like you just saw , where you saw pallets of canned goods but not a lot of fresh vegetables and refrigerated goods .
It is a massive shifting that has to do with trucking and where the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ -- people are now shopping at grocery stores and using delivery systems and food pantries and community resource kitchens and we 're just not getting the food to them .
And then on the flip side , you have the food factory coronavirus hot spot issue that is a hotbed of abuse , and one that , frankly , with the president voiding the CDC requirements and making them recommendations while at the same time forcing workers to work side by side under adverse conditions , in fact , conditions that will increase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cause an even greater problem .
`` What it all comes down to is that it 's , in a sense , less about the food , more about protecting the people or in the case of distribution , managing the people correctly .
A complete failure of leadership . ''
Zimmern explained how the USDA and the Department of Agriculture can mandate changes .
`` Remember , we have a Defense Production Act .
We have trucks .
We have drivers .
We can do contactless pick-up and drop-off .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ department getting their act together and prioritizing that pickup .
Now , I do have to say , cows give milk every day .
Chickens lay eggs every day .
These are -- those foods will , in a sense , be there tomorrow .
Vegetables , obviously , on a cycle now as the weather is warming , are growing in regions creeping north .
`` So people should n't be in panic mode yet or rushing to their grocer and trying to buy every perishable item that they can .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Washington is connecting these farms and fields to the places where the people are actually picking up food , like food banks and community resource kitchens and grocery stores .
`` This is all -- all the food you 're seeing going to waste is the food that would have been going to the largest customers , schools and restaurants and other big places that have been shut down .
Big cafeterias at corporations , things like that .
the big buyers , the fast food chains . ''
He said it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where it 's needed .

We've all seen the pictures. Milk being poured out, produce rotting in the fields. Why is this happening, and what can be done? Morning Joe takes a look.
Mika Brzezinski said America was already facing a food crisis. "There are so many Americans needing these food pantries. but in terms of the food supply and availability of food products, where are we headed?"
"Well, there's so many different sides to this story, Mika," Andrew Zimmern said.
"And it keeps getting crazier and crazier in my opinion. Because all of this was so easily predictable. There is ineptitude and a failure of leadership from the AG, from the USDA, from Washington and from the White House. There is a massive failure of leadership here. There is a corruption issue. There is a worker abuse issue.
"And quite frankly, all of this was predictable and solvable. There is technically enough food in America. The crops rotting in the fields that we've seen, that graphic that people are looking at now from the New York Times about the milk and the eggs and plowed vegetables, could have been -- was anticipated.
"It's simply, and I know this seems very cavalier, it's a matter of rerouting the distribution away from where that food was going, restaurants, schools and getting it to food pantries like you just saw, where you saw pallets of canned goods but not a lot of fresh vegetables and refrigerated goods. It is a massive shifting that has to do with trucking and where the food actually gets.
"This is -- people are now shopping at grocery stores and using delivery systems and food pantries and community resource kitchens and we're just not getting the food to them. And then on the flip side, you have the food factory coronavirus hot spot issue that is a hotbed of abuse, and one that, frankly, with the president voiding the CDC requirements and making them recommendations while at the same time forcing workers to work side by side under adverse conditions, in fact, conditions that will increase transmission of the virus, is going to cause an even greater problem.
"What it all comes down to is that it's, in a sense, less about the food, more about protecting the people or in the case of distribution, managing the people correctly. A complete failure of leadership."
Zimmern explained how the USDA and the Department of Agriculture can mandate changes.
"Remember, we have a Defense Production Act. We have trucks. We have drivers. We can do contactless pick-up and drop-off. It is simply a matter of the Ag department getting their act together and prioritizing that pickup. Now, I do have to say, cows give milk every day. Chickens lay eggs every day. These are -- those foods will, in a sense, be there tomorrow. Vegetables, obviously, on a cycle now as the weather is warming, are growing in regions creeping north.
"So people shouldn't be in panic mode yet or rushing to their grocer and trying to buy every perishable item that they can. The emphasis should be on making sure that Washington is connecting these farms and fields to the places where the people are actually picking up food, like food banks and community resource kitchens and grocery stores.
"This is all -- all the food you're seeing going to waste is the food that would have been going to the largest customers, schools and restaurants and other big places that have been shut down. Big cafeterias at corporations, things like that. the big buyers, the fast food chains."
He said it was a matter of re-routing the food to where it's needed.


crooksandliars--2020-04-30--Sweden COVID Policies Leave Businesses Open -- But More Elderly People Died

Conservatives just love Sweden 's no-lockdown pandemic approach -- but it has its downside , as this New Day segment shows .
`` CNN has the story live from Stockholm .
It sure looks crowded behind you .
But what 's happened there ? ''
Alysin Camerota asked correspondent Phil Black .
`` Alisyn , it is a strangely confronting experience and yet so familiar at a busy shopping strip like this .
Fierce debate over the Swedish approach .
There are those who believe it 's balanced in the long-term , a model to be used around the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and reckless because the cost is just too high .
To visit Sweden now is to enter a strange land where people can just hang out together .
Seek shelter from the cold in cozy restaurants and go for a drink or a coffee , '' Black said .
`` The state epidemiologist Anders Tegnellis is driving the policies here .
He claims success in flattening the curve and keeping serious cases within hospital capacity .
He says it 's a good thing .
His agency estimates 26 % of Stockholm 's population @ @ @ @ @ @ @ means more immunity . ''
More than 2,400 Swedes have died , many of them elderly .
`` It 's a disturbing trend .
Around half of those who have died here lived in care homes .
The Swedish government admits they failed to protect the elderly .
The open policies are broadly popular here but there is anger , too , especially among those who have lost so much to the virus , '' Black said .
UPDATE : In fact , Sweden recently had their deadliest week of this century , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sweden recorded its deadliest week of the 21st century after controversially resisting coronavirus lockdown measures , according to a report .
There were at least 2,505 Swedes who died between April 6 to April 12 , amounting to 358 fatalities per day , Swedish outlet The Local reported .
“ It ’ s important to clearly state that these are preliminary statistics , and that the death toll , especially for the most recent weeks , will be revised upward , ” said Tomas Johansson of Statistics Sweden , a government agency that @ @ @ @

Conservatives just love Sweden's no-lockdown pandemic approach -- but it has its downside, as this New Day segment shows.
"CNN has the story live from Stockholm. It sure looks crowded behind you. But what's happened there?" Alysin Camerota asked correspondent Phil Black.
"Alisyn, it is a strangely confronting experience and yet so familiar at a busy shopping strip like this. Fierce debate over the Swedish approach. There are those who believe it's balanced in the long-term, a model to be used around the world. Now they say it's unethical and reckless because the cost is just too high. To visit Sweden now is to enter a strange land where people can just hang out together. Seek shelter from the cold in cozy restaurants and go for a drink or a coffee," Black said.
"The state epidemiologist Anders Tegnellis is driving the policies here. He claims success in flattening the curve and keeping serious cases within hospital capacity. He says it's a good thing. His agency estimates 26% of Stockholm's population has been infected because in theory that means more immunity."
More than 2,400 Swedes have died, many of them elderly.
"It's a disturbing trend. Around half of those who have died here lived in care homes. The Swedish government admits they failed to protect the elderly. The open policies are broadly popular here but there is anger, too, especially among those who have lost so much to the virus," Black said.
UPDATE: In fact, Sweden recently had their deadliest week of this century, recording 2505 deaths between April 6-12.


crooksandliars--2020-04-30--With 58,000 Dead, Coronavirus Pandemic Becomes Trump's Vietnam In Just Six Weeks

Published with permission of PRESS RUN , Eric Boehlert ’ s new must-read media newsletter .
Subscribe here .
In the winter of 1968 , with no end in sight to the surging Vietnam War , and unable to see a way past his signature failure and the divided nation the conflict had created , President Lyndon Johnson announced to a shocked nation that he `` shall not seek , and I will not accept '' the Democratic nomination for president .
The war , with an American death toll that eventually reached 58,000 , had destroyed the Johnson presidency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Covid-19 pandemic death toll in the United States will match that Vietnam War death toll .
( On Sunday night , the tally stood at 55,000 . )
What took nine years of jungle warfare in Vietnam , Trump and his utterly failed pandemic leadership has overseen in just six weeks time .
Yet rather than conceding his failures and acknowledging his shame the way Johnson did in a self-less attempt to heal the nation , Trump has spent recent days suggesting people ingest Lysol or Clorox in order to cure themselves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not believably , that he was joking about the deadly advice . )
Nearly 58,000 are dead , the American economy has collapsed , food lines are growing , and the unemployment rate could hit 20 percent this year .
In a sense , this is Trump 's Vietnam and Trump 's Great Depression .
Question : Does the news coverage of Trump you see today reflect the truly historic and once-in-a-century events that have quickly unfolded this year ?
Do you get a sense that the news media are capturing how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put the epic failures in firm context ?
And what lessons are the press learning from Trump 's Vietnam ?
To date , I 'm not seeing the Beltway press making dramatic changes in the way they cover Trump , even though he has spent the last six weeks brazenly lying about a public health crisis that has thoroughly gutted this nation .
Make no mistake , Trump owns this catastrophe , just like Johnson owned Vietnam .
In many ways , Trump 's failure far surpasses the Democrat 's wartime mismanagement .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the American military at the Vietnam War , only to fail spectacularly , Trump purposefully refused to unleash the power of the federal government this winter in order to fight the looming pandemic .
Trump chose instead to ignore every possible warning and essentially gave a stand down order for the virus invasion .
We still do n't know why Trump has done everything in his power to make this crisis worse — why he wo n't help key states secure desperately needed medical equipment , why he 's touting a dubious miracle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ceaseless contradictions and lies , has silenced scientists , purposefully ignored detailed intelligence warnings about Covid-19 , and placed his unqualified son-in-law in charge of a national emergency .
And we do n't know why Trump dismantled the White House pandemic team that President Barack Obama had put into place .
The government has failed us on an historic level , lying every step of the way .
Today , just 23 percent of Americans today have a high level of trust in what Trump is telling the public about the pandemic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Vietnam War represented a turning point for how the news media dealt with the U.S. government .
Misled and lied to by three straight administrations , the press slowly built up newfound skepticism about official government pronouncements and denials .
That trend soon spiked with Richard Nixon 's criminal Watergate enterprise .
`` My experience , and that of many , even most , American journalists in the Vietnam War transformed our profession , '' former Saigon correspondent Andrew Pearson wrote in 2018 .
`` We realized over the years that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issues of life and death.
” At the center of that long-running misinformation campaign were the daily , late afternoon Pentagon briefings from Saigon , where war planners routinely misled the press about the situation on the ground .
The overly optimistic updates became so unbelievable they were dubbed the `` five o'clock follies . ''
Recently , when MSNBC cut away from one of Trump 's signature dishonest briefings , which featured a campaign-style attack ad against the media , former New York Times editor Howell Raines remarked , `` I think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of disinformation we ’ ve seen from a White House since the Vietnam era and the 5:00 follies of the Lyndon Johnson administration . ''
In truth , the Trump briefings are far worse and far more dangerous .
Rather than deceiving Americans about a far-off war , Trump lies everyday about a public health crisis and actively puts civilian lives at risk with his dangerous medical musings .
Trump also does everything in his power to destroy America 's faith in news gathering , while playing up his petty grievances at briefings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nation .
The covid-19 pandemic has become Trump ’ s Vietnam .
Incredibly , this war is just beginning .

Published with permission of PRESS RUN, Eric Boehlert’s new must-read media newsletter. Subscribe here.
In the winter of 1968, with no end in sight to the surging Vietnam War, and unable to see a way past his signature failure and the divided nation the conflict had created, President Lyndon Johnson announced to a shocked nation that he "shall not seek, and I will not accept" the Democratic nomination for president. The war, with an American death toll that eventually reached 58,000, had destroyed the Johnson presidency.
In the next day or two the Covid-19 pandemic death toll in the United States will match that Vietnam War death toll. (On Sunday night, the tally stood at 55,000.) What took nine years of jungle warfare in Vietnam, Trump and his utterly failed pandemic leadership has overseen in just six weeks time. Yet rather than conceding his failures and acknowledging his shame the way Johnson did in a self-less attempt to heal the nation, Trump has spent recent days suggesting people ingest Lysol or Clorox in order to cure themselves of Covid-19. (He later insisted, not believably, that he was joking about the deadly advice.)
Nearly 58,000 are dead, the American economy has collapsed, food lines are growing, and the unemployment rate could hit 20 percent this year. In a sense, this is Trump's Vietnam and Trump's Great Depression.
Question: Does the news coverage of Trump you see today reflect the truly historic and once-in-a-century events that have quickly unfolded this year? Do you get a sense that the news media are capturing how unhinged the Trump presidency has become and put the epic failures in firm context?
And what lessons are the press learning from Trump's Vietnam? To date, I'm not seeing the Beltway press making dramatic changes in the way they cover Trump, even though he has spent the last six weeks brazenly lying about a public health crisis that has thoroughly gutted this nation.
Make no mistake, Trump owns this catastrophe, just like Johnson owned Vietnam. In many ways, Trump's failure far surpasses the Democrat's wartime mismanagement. Whereas Johnson threw the full force of the American military at the Vietnam War, only to fail spectacularly, Trump purposefully refused to unleash the power of the federal government this winter in order to fight the looming pandemic. Trump chose instead to ignore every possible warning and essentially gave a stand down order for the virus invasion.
We still don't know why Trump has done everything in his power to make this crisis worse — why he won't help key states secure desperately needed medical equipment, why he's touting a dubious miracle cure, fills marathon pandemic briefings with ceaseless contradictions and lies, has silenced scientists, purposefully ignored detailed intelligence warnings about Covid-19, and placed his unqualified son-in-law in charge of a national emergency. And we don't know why Trump dismantled the White House pandemic team that President Barack Obama had put into place.
The government has failed us on an historic level, lying every step of the way. Today, just 23 percent of Americans today have a high level of trust in what Trump is telling the public about the pandemic, according to recent Associated Press poll.
The Vietnam War represented a turning point for how the news media dealt with the U.S. government. Misled and lied to by three straight administrations, the press slowly built up newfound skepticism about official government pronouncements and denials. That trend soon spiked with Richard Nixon's criminal Watergate enterprise.
"My experience, and that of many, even most, American journalists in the Vietnam War transformed our profession," former Saigon correspondent Andrew Pearson wrote in 2018. "We realized over the years that the government was ill-informed and even wrong about issues of life and death.”
At the center of that long-running misinformation campaign were the daily, late afternoon Pentagon briefings from Saigon, where war planners routinely misled the press about the situation on the ground. The overly optimistic updates became so unbelievable they were dubbed the "five o'clock follies."
Recently, when MSNBC cut away from one of Trump's signature dishonest briefings, which featured a campaign-style attack ad against the media, former New York Times editor Howell Raines remarked, "I think this is one of the astonishing acts of disinformation we’ve seen from a White House since the Vietnam era and the 5:00 follies of the Lyndon Johnson administration."
In truth, the Trump briefings are far worse and far more dangerous. Rather than deceiving Americans about a far-off war, Trump lies everyday about a public health crisis and actively puts civilian lives at risk with his dangerous medical musings. Trump also does everything in his power to destroy America's faith in news gathering, while playing up his petty grievances at briefings that are supposed to inform an anxious nation.
The covid-19 pandemic has become Trump’s Vietnam. Incredibly, this war is just beginning.


crooksandliars--2020-05-01--Trump Is Pushing To 'Find' Evidence That COVID Was Hatched In A Chinese Lab

Yet again , Donald Trump and his band of incompetent sycophants are prioritizing their own propaganda efforts over the security of this nation and the health of Americans .
We previously learned that the bizarre White House focus on hydroxychloroquine extended to actually stockpiling large quantities of the drug even as efforts to procure more urgent supplies like masks and ventilators sputtered ; trials would soon prove the drug to be dangerous , and sometimes deadly , to COVID-19 patients , but not before the White House fired the government 's chief vaccine expert for refusing to endorse the drug @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporting that `` senior '' Trump officials have similarly been pressuring United States intelligence agencies to find `` evidence '' for the far-right conspiracy theory that the virus responsible for COVID-19 was the product of a Chinese government laboratory , rather than a naturally occurring virus that jumped from animal to human hosts .
The Times identifies the leader of those efforts as still-unindicted Trump Secretary of State Mike Pompeo .
There is not one iota of evidence for this conspiracy theory , and it has been debunked , with confidence , by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ composition of the virus .
It is closely related to viruses that use bats as their natural hosts , and likely evolved via some secondary host or hosts that carried the virus from bats to humans .
Gene editing tools leave markers that can be found ; this virus has none .
The virus infects via a mechanism that a human designer would be hard-pressed to design , and is both too infectious and too unpredictable to be an attempted bioweapon .
Intelligence officials themselves have been confident , based on our own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weren ’ t involved .
Nonetheless , the conspiracy theory remains attractive to racists , xenophobes , crackpots , and Trump 's advisers because it provides for a satisfying geopolitical enemy to blame all our current woes on .
That natural virus mutations could and do create new variants that sweep through our populations with regularity is hard to deal with ; saying the Chinese Communists did it is , for people whose brains are predominantly pudding , something that can be instantly grasped and believed .
If there is an enemy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If there is an enemy , it allows Donald Trump to declare that his myriad failures in combatting the pandemic during the early weeks when it mattered were , when it comes down to it , the fault of some malevolent outside force rather than his own self-absorbed indifference and stupidity .
Pressuring intelligence services to `` find '' evidence for something that they have already debunked is similar , of course , to the Iraq War-era manipulation of intelligence by the Bush/Cheney administration .
It is also a mirror of the hydroxychloroquine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government resources away from actual pandemic response to instead focus on one of Dear Leader 's own political narratives .
The Trump administration is leaning on intelligence agencies to provide `` dirt '' that Donald Trump 's campaign can use to boost his political prospects .
As with Trump 's efforts to extort Ukraine into providing similar election-year `` dirt , '' whether the information is true or false is irrelevant .
It is intended as propaganda ; it will be disbursed to the public in that form .
And Mike Pompeo ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ escape notice .
Trump continues to run the United States government solely as a vehicle for himself and his own self-interest .
He continues to actively harm the nation , weakening or delaying competent government responses during a national emergency to instead pursue self-promotional , propaganda-premised goals .
He has the full support of his entire White House team , Republican lawmakers , and the Republican Party apparatus in doing so .
We are at 60,000 deaths , and Trump is directing his government to redirect resources once again away from the reality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fantasy versions that he believes would make him look more heroic , and less like a catastrophic , history-altering failure .

Yet again, Donald Trump and his band of incompetent sycophants are prioritizing their own propaganda efforts over the security of this nation and the health of Americans. We previously learned that the bizarre White House focus on hydroxychloroquine extended to actually stockpiling large quantities of the drug even as efforts to procure more urgent supplies like masks and ventilators sputtered; trials would soon prove the drug to be dangerous, and sometimes deadly, to COVID-19 patients, but not before the White House fired the government's chief vaccine expert for refusing to endorse the drug.
The New York Times is now reporting that "senior" Trump officials have similarly been pressuring United States intelligence agencies to find "evidence" for the far-right conspiracy theory that the virus responsible for COVID-19 was the product of a Chinese government laboratory, rather than a naturally occurring virus that jumped from animal to human hosts. The Times identifies the leader of those efforts as still-unindicted Trump Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
There is not one iota of evidence for this conspiracy theory, and it has been debunked, with confidence, by the scientists who have studied the actual composition of the virus. It is closely related to viruses that use bats as their natural hosts, and likely evolved via some secondary host or hosts that carried the virus from bats to humans. Gene editing tools leave markers that can be found; this virus has none. The virus infects via a mechanism that a human designer would be hard-pressed to design, and is both too infectious and too unpredictable to be an attempted bioweapon. Intelligence officials themselves have been confident, based on our own nation's espionage, that Chinese laboratories weren’t involved.
Nonetheless, the conspiracy theory remains attractive to racists, xenophobes, crackpots, and Trump's advisers because it provides for a satisfying geopolitical enemy to blame all our current woes on. That natural virus mutations could and do create new variants that sweep through our populations with regularity is hard to deal with; saying the Chinese Communists did it is, for people whose brains are predominantly pudding, something that can be instantly grasped and believed. If there is an enemy, there is someone to rally against. If there is an enemy, it allows Donald Trump to declare that his myriad failures in combatting the pandemic during the early weeks when it mattered were, when it comes down to it, the fault of some malevolent outside force rather than his own self-absorbed indifference and stupidity.
Pressuring intelligence services to "find" evidence for something that they have already debunked is similar, of course, to the Iraq War-era manipulation of intelligence by the Bush/Cheney administration. It is also a mirror of the hydroxychloroquine fiasco in which the Trump team took government resources away from actual pandemic response to instead focus on one of Dear Leader's own political narratives. The Trump administration is leaning on intelligence agencies to provide "dirt" that Donald Trump's campaign can use to boost his political prospects. As with Trump's efforts to extort Ukraine into providing similar election-year "dirt," whether the information is true or false is irrelevant. It is intended as propaganda; it will be disbursed to the public in that form. And Mike Pompeo’s involvement in both efforts should not escape notice.
Trump continues to run the United States government solely as a vehicle for himself and his own self-interest. He continues to actively harm the nation, weakening or delaying competent government responses during a national emergency to instead pursue self-promotional, propaganda-premised goals.
He has the full support of his entire White House team, Republican lawmakers, and the Republican Party apparatus in doing so. We are at 60,000 deaths, and Trump is directing his government to redirect resources once again away from the reality of the situation before us and into fantasy versions that he believes would make him look more heroic, and less like a catastrophic, history-altering failure.
Published with permission of Daily Kos


crooksandliars--2020-05-01--Trump Boasts: ‘Our Death Totals … Are Really Very, Very Strong’

On the day that the U.S. death total from the coronavirus pandemic topped 60,000 and remains the highest in the world , Donald Trump boasted that nobody ’ s done a better job than he .
TRUMP : I don ’ t think anybody ’ s done a better job -- with testing , with ventilators , with all of the things that we ’ ve done .
And our death totals — our numbers per million people — are really very , very strong .
We ’ re very proud of the job we ’ ve done.
” Actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s done a worse job .
The United States leads the world in both numbers of deaths and coronavirus cases .
Just as sickening ( pardon the pun ) , Trump doesn ’ t care a bit about those who have died .
The New York Times ’ Peter Baker wrote today , “ In his daily news conferences , Trump makes only perfunctory references to those who have died as he stiffly reads opening remarks , exhibiting more emotion when grieving his lost economic record than his lost constituents.
” Baker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. , the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee , called on him on Thursday to lower the flag at the White House to honor the dead did Mr. Trump say he would consider the idea .
“ I don ’ t think anybody could feel any worse than I do about all of the death and destruction that ’ s so needless .
Nobody , ” Mr. Trump said .
“ But I also have to make sure that we handle the situation well .
”

On the day that the U.S. death total from the coronavirus pandemic topped 60,000 and remains the highest in the world, Donald Trump boasted that nobody’s done a better job than he.
TRUMP: I don’t think anybody’s done a better job -- with testing, with ventilators, with all of the things that we’ve done. And our death totals — our numbers per million people — are really very, very strong. We’re very proud of the job we’ve done.”
Actually, there’s probably nobody who’s done a worse job. The United States leads the world in both numbers of deaths and coronavirus cases.
Just as sickening (pardon the pun), Trump doesn’t care a bit about those who have died. The New York Times’ Peter Baker wrote today, “In his daily news conferences, Trump makes only perfunctory references to those who have died as he stiffly reads opening remarks, exhibiting more emotion when grieving his lost economic record than his lost constituents.”
Baker also had this telling nugget:


crooksandliars--2020-05-01--Gov. Larry Hogan: MD National Guard Protecting Test Kits From Feds At 'Undisclosed Location'

Washington Post reporter Robert Costa interviewed Maryland 's Governor Larry Hogan ( R ) about all aspects of how COVID-19 is impacting the state , and some of Gov .
Hogan 's statements were , frankly , astonishing .
He discussed the details of procuring 5,000 test kits ( which will yield 500,000 tests ) from South Korea — in and of itself a tremendous accomplishment at a time when tests remain hot property .
Rather than having the plane land at Dulles Airport in Virginia , he had to maneuver the logistics so that it could land at BWI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time ever a Korean Air flight has landed at that airport .
Why all the machinations for something he had legally procured ?
After all , did n't Trump say the states were on their own in finding the supplies they needed ?
So as to avoid the complication of crossing state lines , one can conclude ... and also because — get this — the flight was met by the Maryland National Guard and Maryland State Police to protect the test kits .
GOV .
HOGAN : We landed it there with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Maryland State Police , because this was an enormously valuable payload .
It was like Fort Knox to us , because it was going to save the lives of thousands of our citizens .
And there had been , for example , reports from Massachusetts , Governor Charlie Baker told the story of his planeload that came in with masks was basically confiscated by the federal government , and he then had to get Robert Kraft , the owner of the Patriots to fly a second mission with a private plane to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in , or a couple of other states that had similar stories , so we just wanted to make sure , that was just so important to us that that plane took off from Korea safely , landed here in America safely , and that we guarded that cargo from whoever might interfere with us getting that to folks who need it .
Can you imagine this situation states are in ?
Trump says states are on their own .
States go through hell and high water to procure the supplies their citizens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nope , sorry !
MINE ! ''
AND CONFISCATES IT .
And to prevent that from happening , a governor had to maneuver through eight agencies , two embassies , and employ the National Guard and the State Police to protect these supplies from his own president !
Robert Costa asked if these tests are still being protected by the Maryland National Guard .
Gov .
Hogan 's answer ?
You bet your ass .
GOV .
HOGAN : They are .
The National Guard and the State Police are both guarding these @ @ @ @ @ @

Washington Post reporter Robert Costa interviewed Maryland's Governor Larry Hogan (R) about all aspects of how COVID-19 is impacting the state, and some of Gov. Hogan's statements were, frankly, astonishing.
He discussed the details of procuring 5,000 test kits (which will yield 500,000 tests) from South Korea — in and of itself a tremendous accomplishment at a time when tests remain hot property. Rather than having the plane land at Dulles Airport in Virginia, he had to maneuver the logistics so that it could land at BWI Airport in Maryland, marking the first time ever a Korean Air flight has landed at that airport.
Why all the machinations for something he had legally procured? After all, didn't Trump say the states were on their own in finding the supplies they needed? So as to avoid the complication of crossing state lines, one can conclude... and also because — get this — the flight was met by the Maryland National Guard and Maryland State Police to protect the test kits.
GOV. HOGAN: We landed it there with a large contingent of Maryland National Guard and Maryland State Police, because this was an enormously valuable payload. It was like Fort Knox to us, because it was going to save the lives of thousands of our citizens. And there had been, for example, reports from Massachusetts, Governor Charlie Baker told the story of his planeload that came in with masks was basically confiscated by the federal government, and he then had to get Robert Kraft, the owner of the Patriots to fly a second mission with a private plane to try to bring some of that equipment in, or a couple of other states that had similar stories, so we just wanted to make sure, that was just so important to us that that plane took off from Korea safely, landed here in America safely, and that we guarded that cargo from whoever might interfere with us getting that to folks who need it.
Can you imagine this situation states are in? Trump says states are on their own. States go through hell and high water to procure the supplies their citizens need. Then Trump says, "Nope, sorry! MINE!" AND CONFISCATES IT.
And to prevent that from happening, a governor had to maneuver through eight agencies, two embassies, and employ the National Guard and the State Police to protect these supplies from his own president!
Robert Costa asked if these tests are still being protected by the Maryland National Guard. Gov. Hogan's answer? You bet your ass.
GOV. HOGAN: They are. The National Guard and the State Police are both guarding these tests at an undisclosed location.
This world. This world.
Watch the video below.
Maryland @GovLarryHogan on whether he was concerned that the federal government would seize the tests the state procured from South Korea. He says the tests are being guarded by the National Guard at an undisclosed location. https://t.co/uGcUi6U5rL pic.twitter.com/15BhHmLzql — Washington Post Live (@postlive) April 30, 2020
And Hogan's full remarks.


crooksandliars--2020-05-01--WHOOPS! Trump Administration Accidentally Insured Extra 200,000 Through Obamacare

With an eye on replacing the Affordable Care Act , the Trump administration took one particularly critical action in October 2017 .
It discontinued cost-sharing reduction subsidy payments to health insurers participating in the ACA marketplaces .
But the response to those cuts was likely not what President Trump expected .
State insurance commissioners and insurers used them to make marketplace health plans more affordable .
Premium decreases were large – so large that 4.2 million potential enrollees had the option to purchase a marketplace plan for free in 2019 .
These changes made us wonder : Did President Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Care Act backfire ?
I ’ m a health economist at the University of Pittsburgh .
Along with my colleague David Anderson , a policy expert on the Affordable Care Act , we tried to answer that question shortly after the payment cuts .
We discovered that more than 200,000 people , using the Healthcare.gov platform in 2019 , gained insurance in 37 states due to the Trump administration ’ s actions .
This finding may even be more important now as massive unemployment from the coronavirus pandemic leads to huge losses of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people enrolling in the marketplaces .
People who sign up for a plan in the Health Insurance Marketplaces may qualify for two types of subsidies .
The first type is the advanced premium tax credit , which reduces the premium paid by the enrollee ; lower-income enrollees receive larger premium tax credits .
The second type is the cost-sharing reduction subsidy , which decrease deductibles and co-pays .
Premium tax credits may be applied to any marketplace plan , though they ’ re based on silver plan premiums , which cover 70 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care expenses .
Cost-sharing reduction subsidies can only be applied to silver plans ; that means qualifying enrollees in less generous bronze plans and more generous gold plans don ’ t benefit from reduced deductibles and co-pays provided by these subsidies .
When Trump ended those payments , marketplace insurers were suddenly in a bind .
They are legally required to provide cost-sharing reduction subsidies to enrollees whether or not the federal government was paying .
The expectation : marketplace insurers , forced to make up the lost revenue , would either increase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And Obamacare would implode .
But that ’ s not what happened .
Why did the plans become more affordable ?
Insurers increased only the premiums of their silver plans .
That approach – known as silver loading – did two things .
First , the cost of silver plan premiums rose drastically .
Second , premium tax credits increased along with premiums .
So those enrollees receiving premium tax credits saw no increase in the premiums of their silver plans .
At the same time , non-silver plans became cheaper .
Many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ became so cheap they were free after applying premium tax credit subsidies .
Lower-income enrollees benefited the most .
In 2019 , 4.2 million enrollees could enter the marketplace for free through a zero-dollar bronze plan , largely due to silver loading .
Without those zero-premium plans , our analysis showed more than 200,000 lower-income marketplace enrollees would have gone uninsured .
Another 60,000 would have gained insurance had California and New Jersey eliminated regulations that prohibited zero premium plans — and if Indiana , Mississippi and West Virginia had adopted silver loading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states not included in our study .
All this is clearly not what the Trump administration had in mind when it cut subsidy payments .
Other changes to the marketplaces probably masked some coverage gains that occurred .
Notably , cuts in the public outreach for Healthcare.gov , along with the elimination of the individual mandate , decreased enrollment .
But the popularity of zero premium plans resulting from silver loading likely stopped much of the damage – and Trump ’ s attempt to destabilize the marketplaces .
Now states can take advantage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to increase health coverage through the marketplaces .
One way : States requiring marketplace insurers to provide extra benefits – again , like California and New Jersey – can pick up the small tab for those extras .
For example , California enrollees pay for abortion coverage through a one-dollar monthly premium surcharge .
This is not covered by premium tax credits .
By shifting premiums from even one dollar to zero dollars , our estimates indicate enrollment would increase by approximately 13 % among those with lower incomes .
Another way : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This is not a partisan issue .
Conservative states – or at least , GOP-controlled states like Alabama , Wyoming and Florida – have silver-loaded .
State governments pay nothing , revenue for insurers is increased , and most critically , lower-income Americans are provided with affordable health insurance .
Put simply , there ’ s no downside for states .
The Trump administration is prevented from restricting silver loading through 2021 .
However , a forthcoming Supreme Court case , Texas v. Azar , may yet repeal the entire ACA .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ rules in favor of the GOP plaintiffs , they will put affordable health insurance out of reach for the 11.4 million Americans that purchased health insurance in the marketplaces .
They will also eliminate Medicaid coverage for an additional 16.9 million Americans .
If the case succeeds , the uninsured rate could easily surpass levels not seen since the height of the Great Recession .
And for millions of Americans , access to health insurance – desperately needed , particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic – will be eliminated .
[ You need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can help .
Read The Conversation ’ s newsletter . ]
Coleman Drake , Assistant Professor , Department of Health Policy and Management , University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health , University of Pittsburgh and David Anderson , Health policy research scientist , Duke University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license .
Read the original article .

Coleman Drake, University of Pittsburgh and David Anderson, Duke University
With an eye on replacing the Affordable Care Act, the Trump administration took one particularly critical action in October 2017. It discontinued cost-sharing reduction subsidy payments to health insurers participating in the ACA marketplaces.
But the response to those cuts was likely not what President Trump expected. State insurance commissioners and insurers used them to make marketplace health plans more affordable.
Premium decreases were large – so large that 4.2 million potential enrollees had the option to purchase a marketplace plan for free in 2019.
These changes made us wonder: Did President Trump’s effort to sabotage the Affordable Care Act backfire? I’m a health economist at the University of Pittsburgh. Along with my colleague David Anderson, a policy expert on the Affordable Care Act, we tried to answer that question shortly after the payment cuts. We discovered that more than 200,000 people, using the Healthcare.gov platform in 2019, gained insurance in 37 states due to the Trump administration’s actions. This finding may even be more important now as massive unemployment from the coronavirus pandemic leads to huge losses of employer-based insurance coverage – and ultimately more people enrolling in the marketplaces.
Getty Images / Chip Somodevilla
Subsidies and silver loading
People who sign up for a plan in the Health Insurance Marketplaces may qualify for two types of subsidies. The first type is the advanced premium tax credit, which reduces the premium paid by the enrollee; lower-income enrollees receive larger premium tax credits. The second type is the cost-sharing reduction subsidy, which decrease deductibles and co-pays.
Premium tax credits may be applied to any marketplace plan, though they’re based on silver plan premiums, which cover 70% of an average enrollee’s health care expenses. Cost-sharing reduction subsidies can only be applied to silver plans; that means qualifying enrollees in less generous bronze plans and more generous gold plans don’t benefit from reduced deductibles and co-pays provided by these subsidies.
When Trump ended those payments, marketplace insurers were suddenly in a bind. They are legally required to provide cost-sharing reduction subsidies to enrollees whether or not the federal government was paying. The expectation: marketplace insurers, forced to make up the lost revenue, would either increase premiums or exit the marketplaces altogether. And Obamacare would implode.
But that’s not what happened. Why did the plans become more affordable? Insurers increased only the premiums of their silver plans. That approach – known as silver loading – did two things. First, the cost of silver plan premiums rose drastically. Second, premium tax credits increased along with premiums. So those enrollees receiving premium tax credits saw no increase in the premiums of their silver plans.
At the same time, non-silver plans became cheaper. Many bronze plans, already costing less, became so cheap they were free after applying premium tax credit subsidies. Lower-income enrollees benefited the most.
The silver lining in silver loading
In 2019, 4.2 million enrollees could enter the marketplace for free through a zero-dollar bronze plan, largely due to silver loading. Without those zero-premium plans, our analysis showed more than 200,000 lower-income marketplace enrollees would have gone uninsured.
Another 60,000 would have gained insurance had California and New Jersey eliminated regulations that prohibited zero premium plans — and if Indiana, Mississippi and West Virginia had adopted silver loading. Many more likely got coverage in states not included in our study.
All this is clearly not what the Trump administration had in mind when it cut subsidy payments. Other changes to the marketplaces probably masked some coverage gains that occurred. Notably, cuts in the public outreach for Healthcare.gov, along with the elimination of the individual mandate, decreased enrollment. But the popularity of zero premium plans resulting from silver loading likely stopped much of the damage – and Trump’s attempt to destabilize the marketplaces.
Getty Images / FS Productions
Increasing health coverage post-2020
Now states can take advantage of the attractiveness of zero premium plans to increase health coverage through the marketplaces. One way: States requiring marketplace insurers to provide extra benefits – again, like California and New Jersey – can pick up the small tab for those extras. For example, California enrollees pay for abortion coverage through a one-dollar monthly premium surcharge. This is not covered by premium tax credits. By shifting premiums from even one dollar to zero dollars, our estimates indicate enrollment would increase by approximately 13% among those with lower incomes.
Another way: States without silver loading should adopt it. This is not a partisan issue. Conservative states – or at least, GOP-controlled states like Alabama, Wyoming and Florida – have silver-loaded. State governments pay nothing, revenue for insurers is increased, and most critically, lower-income Americans are provided with affordable health insurance. Put simply, there’s no downside for states.
The Trump administration is prevented from restricting silver loading through 2021. However, a forthcoming Supreme Court case, Texas v. Azar, may yet repeal the entire ACA. If the court’s conservative majority rules in favor of the GOP plaintiffs, they will put affordable health insurance out of reach for the 11.4 million Americans that purchased health insurance in the marketplaces. They will also eliminate Medicaid coverage for an additional 16.9 million Americans.
If the case succeeds, the uninsured rate could easily surpass levels not seen since the height of the Great Recession. And for millions of Americans, access to health insurance – desperately needed, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic – will be eliminated.
[You need to understand the coronavirus pandemic, and we can help. Read The Conversation’s newsletter.]
Coleman Drake, Assistant Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh and David Anderson, Health policy research scientist, Duke University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


crooksandliars--2020-05-01--Alex Jones Has Plans To Become A Cannibal: ‘I Will Eat My Neighbors’

Barstool News Network caught the jaw-dropping rant from Jones , a guy Donald Trump thinks has an “ amazing ” reputation : JONES : I will eat my neighbors .
I ’ m not letting my kids die .
I ’ m just going to be honest .
My superpower is being honest .
I ’ ve extrapolated this out - and I won ’ t have to for a few years because I ’ ve got food and stuff - but I ’ m literally looking at my neighbors now and going , `` I ’ m ready to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and skin ’ em and chop ‘ em up . ''
You know what ?
I ’ m ready .
After boasting that he is “ probably the leader ” of the self-sufficiency crowd , Jones continued : JONES : The point is , is have you thought about that yet ?
Because I ’ m somebody who thought I could fix this .
And I ’ m starting to think about having to eat my neighbors .
You think I like sizing up my neighbor ?
How I ’ m gon na @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chop his ass up ?
I ’ ll do it !
My children aren ’ t going hungry !
I will eat your ass !
That ’ s what I want the globalists to know — I will eat your ass first !
” Whether you ’ re a globalist or not , thank your lucky stars if you don ’ t live anywhere near this guy .

Barstool News Network caught the jaw-dropping rant from Jones, a guy Donald Trump thinks has an “amazing” reputation:
JONES: I will eat my neighbors. I’m not letting my kids die. I’m just going to be honest. My superpower is being honest. I’ve extrapolated this out - and I won’t have to for a few years because I’ve got food and stuff - but I’m literally looking at my neighbors now and going, "I’m ready to hang them up, gut ’em and skin ’em and chop ‘em up." You know what? I’m ready.
After boasting that he is “probably the leader” of the self-sufficiency crowd, Jones continued:
JONES: The point is, is have you thought about that yet? Because I’m somebody who thought I could fix this. And I’m starting to think about having to eat my neighbors. You think I like sizing up my neighbor? How I’m gonna haul him up by a chain and chop his ass up? I’ll do it! My children aren’t going hungry! I will eat your ass! That’s what I want the globalists to know — I will eat your ass first!”
Whether you’re a globalist or not, thank your lucky stars if you don’t live anywhere near this guy.
(H/T Raw Story)


crooksandliars--2020-05-01--Canada Bans Assault-Style Weapons: ‘Canadians Deserve More Than Thoughts And Prayers'

It took the worst massacre in Canadian history where a long gunman killed 23 but Canada finally banned the sale , transport , and import of military-grade , assault-style weapons .
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday announced an immediate ban in Canada on assault-style weapons .
Trudeau cited numerous mass shootings in the country , including the rampage in which a gunman killed 23 people in Nova Scotia in April .
Trudeau described it as `` the deadliest rampage in our country 's history . ''
`` Canadians deserve more than thoughts and prayers , ” Trudeau said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which has tighter gun control laws than the United States .
Trudeau announced the ban of more than 1,500 models and variants of assault-style firearms .
`` These weapons were designed for one purpose and one purpose only : to kill the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time , '' he said .
`` There is no use — and no place — for such weapons in Canada . ''
Trudeau said the vast majority of gun owners use firearms safely , responsibly and in accordance with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need an AR-15 to take bring down a deer , '' Trudeau said .
`` So , effective immediately , it is no longer permitted to buy , sell , transport , import or use military-grade , assault weapons in this country . ''

It took the worst massacre in Canadian history where a long gunman killed 23 but Canada finally banned the sale, transport, and import of military-grade, assault-style weapons.
Source: NBC News
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday announced an immediate ban in Canada on assault-style weapons.
Trudeau cited numerous mass shootings in the country, including the rampage in which a gunman killed 23 people in Nova Scotia in April. Trudeau described it as "the deadliest rampage in our country's history."
"Canadians deserve more than thoughts and prayers,” Trudeau said.
Mass shootings are relatively rare in Canada, which has tighter gun control laws than the United States.
Trudeau announced the ban of more than 1,500 models and variants of assault-style firearms.
"These weapons were designed for one purpose and one purpose only: to kill the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time," he said. "There is no use — and no place — for such weapons in Canada."
Trudeau said the vast majority of gun owners use firearms safely, responsibly and in accordance with the law.
"But you don't need an AR-15 to take bring down a deer," Trudeau said. "So, effective immediately, it is no longer permitted to buy, sell, transport, import or use military-grade, assault weapons in this country."


crooksandliars--2020-05-01--McConnell To Bring Senate Back Not To Fight Covid But To Confirm More Trump Judges

Democratic lawmakers and advocacy groups are accusing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of endangering the health of members of Congress and Capitol Hill employees for political gain as the Kentucky Republican presses forward with plans to reconvene the chamber next week for the sole purpose of confirming more right-wing judges—including his unqualified 38-year-old protégé .
`` McConnell is calling the Senate back in , ignoring D.C. 's stay at home order , and putting thousands of Capitol employees at risk , '' tweeted Sen. Chris Murphy ( D-Conn. ) .
`` Not to do oversight of Trump 's pandemic response @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bill .
But to ram through more conservative judges . ''
`` Instead of focusing on Covid-19 , Republicans have decided to prioritize stacking our federal courts with conservative ideologues .
We should all be alarmed . ''
—Vanita Gupta , Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights McConnell made clear in an interview last week that resuming rapid-fire confirmations of President Donald Trump 's judicial nominees will be the Senate 's top priority when it reconvenes Monday , despite the desperate need for additional relief for frontline workers and the unemployed as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ layoffs across the nation .
`` The current plan is to go back in session on May the 4th , '' McConnell told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on April 22 .
`` I have n't seen anything that would discourage me from doing that .
And as soon as we get back in session , we 'll start confirming judges again .
We need to have hearings , and we need to confirm judges . ''
Sen. Richard Blumenthal ( D-Conn. ) said on Twitter Wednesday that instead of advancing `` real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heartbreak , '' McConnell is `` recklessly endangering Capitol workers and others for pure partisan politics . ''
The Senate Judiciary Committee , chaired by Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-S.C. ) , announced Wednesday that despite opposition from every Democratic member of the panel , it plans to hold a nomination hearing on May 6 for Justin Walker , Trump 's pick for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C .
Circuit .
Walker , a McConnell ally with ties to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh , was rated `` not qualified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump nominated him last year to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky .
The Republican-controlled Senate disregarded the ABA rating and confirmed Walker last October , and now the judge is on track for a promotion .
Politico reported Thursday that McConnell `` is gambling that 100 senators can safely meet on the Senate floor and throughout the Capitol complex .
Many of them will travel across the country for the Senate 's reopening , risking [ Covid-19 ] exposure on airplanes and in airports . ''
In addition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is also expected to quickly advance the nomination of Mississippi Court of Appeals Judge Cory Wilson to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit .
Confirmation of Walker and Wilson would leave no more vacancies at the circuit court level .
Late Wednesday , Trump—who is responsible for picking around one in five current U.S. federal judges—announced his intent to nominate Aileen Mercedes Cannon to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida and Dirk Paloutzian to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have decided to prioritize stacking our federal courts with conservative ideologues , '' Vanita Gupta , president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights , tweeted Wednesday .
`` We should all be alarmed . ''

Democratic lawmakers and advocacy groups are accusing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of endangering the health of members of Congress and Capitol Hill employees for political gain as the Kentucky Republican presses forward with plans to reconvene the chamber next week for the sole purpose of confirming more right-wing judges—including his unqualified 38-year-old protégé.
"McConnell is calling the Senate back in, ignoring D.C.'s stay at home order, and putting thousands of Capitol employees at risk," tweeted Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). "Not to do oversight of Trump's pandemic response. Not to pass a new relief bill. But to ram through more conservative judges."
"Instead of focusing on Covid-19, Republicans have decided to prioritize stacking our federal courts with conservative ideologues. We should all be alarmed."
—Vanita Gupta, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
McConnell made clear in an interview last week that resuming rapid-fire confirmations of President Donald Trump's judicial nominees will be the Senate's top priority when it reconvenes Monday, despite the desperate need for additional relief for frontline workers and the unemployed as the coronavirus pandemic continues to cause mass layoffs across the nation.
"The current plan is to go back in session on May the 4th," McConnell told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on April 22. "I haven't seen anything that would discourage me from doing that. And as soon as we get back in session, we'll start confirming judges again. We need to have hearings, and we need to confirm judges."
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said on Twitter Wednesday that instead of advancing "real solutions to the nation's hardship and heartbreak," McConnell is "recklessly endangering Capitol workers and others for pure partisan politics."
The Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), announced Wednesday that despite opposition from every Democratic member of the panel, it plans to hold a nomination hearing on May 6 for Justin Walker, Trump's pick for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Walker, a McConnell ally with ties to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, was rated "not qualified" by the American Bar Association when Trump nominated him last year to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. The Republican-controlled Senate disregarded the ABA rating and confirmed Walker last October, and now the judge is on track for a promotion.
Politico reported Thursday that McConnell "is gambling that 100 senators can safely meet on the Senate floor and throughout the Capitol complex. Many of them will travel across the country for the Senate's reopening, risking [Covid-19] exposure on airplanes and in airports."
Mitch McConnell cares more about ushering his unqualified 38 year-old crony onto one of the country’s highest courts than about ensuring Americans’ health in the middle of a pandemic.https://t.co/pcEaEeA8mY — Demand Justice (@WeDemandJustice) April 28, 2020
In addition to Walker, the Senate next week is also expected to quickly advance the nomination of Mississippi Court of Appeals Judge Cory Wilson to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Confirmation of Walker and Wilson would leave no more vacancies at the circuit court level.
Late Wednesday, Trump—who is responsible for picking around one in five current U.S. federal judges—announced his intent to nominate Aileen Mercedes Cannon to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida and Dirk Paloutzian to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.
"Instead of focusing on Covid-19, Republicans have decided to prioritize stacking our federal courts with conservative ideologues," Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, tweeted Wednesday. "We should all be alarmed."
Republished from Common Dreams (Jake Johnson, staff writer) under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.


crooksandliars--2020-05-01--Good Job, Governor Kemp! 1,000 New Georgia COVID Cases In The Last 24 Hours

Governor Brian Kemp reopened Georgia on Friday , April 24th , against all advice .
Even Donald Trump criticized the decision .
Now we are seeing the impact this decision is having , just 7 days later .
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that the Georgia Department of Public Health reported an additional 1,000 cases of COVID in the last 24 hours , bringing their total number of confirmed ( ie , tested , which they are n't doing a lot of ) to over 27,000 .
Over 1,140 Georgians have died from COVID , with 33 dying since mid-day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kemp ignored widely accepted medical advice that it would be unwise for any city or state to `` reopen '' their economy , even with rules in place , until they saw not only a flattening , but a decrease in cases .
And the standard is AT LEAST 14 days of lowering cases .
Georgia has not seen that .
In fact , cases continue to CLIMB by the hundreds each day in metro Atlanta alone .
AJC reports that there are `` at least 2,845 cases of the virus in Fulton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Gwinnett , 1,660 in Cobb , 1,364 in Hall , 720 in Clayton , 491 in Henry , 474 in Cherokee , 370 in Carroll , 322 in Douglas , 317 in Bartow , 304 in Forsyth , 198 in Newton , 191 in Rockdale and 188 in Paulding . ''
That is A LOT of active cases .
Now Governor Kemp is saying that residents should `` stay home whenever possible , and businesses must continue to operate under strict social distancing guidelines until May 13 .
The elderly and medically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ June 12 '' But how will people get their tattoos done or their roots colored or their nails manicured ?
And hello , bowling alleys and dine-in restaurants ?
These are all clearly necessary for life , right ( sarcasm font ) ?
To be fair , there is a concerted effort to test more people in Georgia this week .
Georgia 's public health commissioner , Dr. Kathleen Toomey , would like to have 100,000 new tests completed in the next 10 days .
Just last week , the state was averaging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday , May 8th , will be a full 14 days since numerous business reopened .
Although many are opting to forego their root touchup or bowling practice , we may still see a spike in cases of people that chose to jump on the chance to return to their `` normal '' lives .
But to hide this devastating data , Georgia is backdating their cases to make it look like the cases are dropping when they clearly are not : Twitter responded to the news about the spike in cases : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
He ca n't .
Death and sickness are unspinnable .

Governor Brian Kemp reopened Georgia on Friday, April 24th, against all advice. Even Donald Trump criticized the decision. Now we are seeing the impact this decision is having, just 7 days later. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that the Georgia Department of Public Health reported an additional 1,000 cases of COVID in the last 24 hours, bringing their total number of confirmed (ie, tested, which they aren't doing a lot of) to over 27,000. Over 1,140 Georgians have died from COVID, with 33 dying since mid-day Thursday.
To be clear, Governor Kemp ignored widely accepted medical advice that it would be unwise for any city or state to "reopen" their economy, even with rules in place, until they saw not only a flattening, but a decrease in cases. And the standard is AT LEAST 14 days of lowering cases. Georgia has not seen that. In fact, cases continue to CLIMB by the hundreds each day in metro Atlanta alone.
AJC reports that there are "at least 2,845 cases of the virus in Fulton County, 2,041 in DeKalb, 1,818 in Gwinnett, 1,660 in Cobb, 1,364 in Hall, 720 in Clayton, 491 in Henry, 474 in Cherokee, 370 in Carroll, 322 in Douglas, 317 in Bartow, 304 in Forsyth, 198 in Newton, 191 in Rockdale and 188 in Paulding."
That is A LOT of active cases.
Now Governor Kemp is saying that residents should "stay home whenever possible, and businesses must continue to operate under strict social distancing guidelines until May 13. The elderly and medically fragile remain under a shelter-in-place order through June 12"
But how will people get their tattoos done or their roots colored or their nails manicured? And hello, bowling alleys and dine-in restaurants? These are all clearly necessary for life, right (sarcasm font)?
To be fair, there is a concerted effort to test more people in Georgia this week. Georgia's public health commissioner, Dr. Kathleen Toomey, would like to have 100,000 new tests completed in the next 10 days. Just last week, the state was averaging around 7,000 tests a day.
Next Friday, May 8th, will be a full 14 days since numerous business reopened. Although many are opting to forego their root touchup or bowling practice, we may still see a spike in cases of people that chose to jump on the chance to return to their "normal" lives.
But to hide this devastating data, Georgia is backdating their cases to make it look like the cases are dropping when they clearly are not:
Holy shit. We need to talk about this deliberately misleading graph from the Georgia Department of Public Health.
It’s hard to figure out how they got this desired shape, because the explanation below sounds nonsensical.
They’re basically back-dating almost *all* new cases. pic.twitter.com/NuL9iWAoz4 — Jake Reif ⚖ (@JakeReif) May 1, 2020
Instead of graphing new cases when they are reported, they guesstimate when the onset of symptoms happened or when the test was taken.
That constantly pushes up the area under the arch, but almost guarantees the “new” cases remain near zero. — Jake Reif ⚖ (@JakeReif) May 1, 2020
Yesterday Georgia reported over 1000 new cases. But instead of graphing those as April 30 cases they spread them out earlier in the curve so that the curve *always looks like it’s approaching zero.*
This is just nuts. It’s hard to find the words to explain how crazy this is. — Jake Reif ⚖ (@JakeReif) May 1, 2020
Twitter responded to the news about the spike in cases:
Me looking at Georgia's spike in cases as they chose to open shit back up pic.twitter.com/etd4FfBd77 — Pissed👏🏼Off👏🏼Prof👏🏼 (@LavenderProf) May 1, 2020
How long until Georgia is forced to shut back down? https://t.co/N4DPkVJSd5 — Ahmed Baba (@AhmedBaba_) May 1, 2020
In unsurprising news, Georgia is now seeing an uptick in cases, like every expert said they would. Aggressive social distancing isn't eradicating the infection, it's just keeping the growth rate linear. End the distancing and growth becomes exponential. https://t.co/D6NcxRbAga — Max Kennerly (@MaxKennerly) May 1, 2020
Congrats to these two idiots @realDonaldTrump @BrianKempGA for doing their part to "flatten the curve": Georgia reports nearly 1,000 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours — Joey Esposito (@organdonor76) May 1, 2020
How will Governor Brian Kemp spin this? He can't. Death and sickness are unspinnable.


crooksandliars--2020-05-01--LISTEN:  C&L's John Amato On The 'We've Got Issues' Podcast

The owner and founder of Crooks and Liars sits down ( virtually ) with Joshua Holland of `` We 've @ @ @ @ @ 're joined by Crooks and Liars Publisher John Amato , who has been covering Fox @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
We also talk to John about MLB 's plans to play some sort @ @ @ @ @ midst of all of this madness .
You can listen to more of this episode @ @ @ @ @ here .

The owner and founder of Crooks and Liars sits down (virtually) with Joshua Holland of "We've Got Issues."
We're joined by Crooks and Liars Publisher John Amato, who has been covering Fox News' coverage of the pandemic. We also talk to John about MLB's plans to play some sort of baseball season in the midst of all of this madness.
Spoiler: John is decidedly pro-baseball!
You can listen to more of this episode as well as past episodes here.


crooksandliars--2020-05-01--Thanks To Mnuchin, Taxpayers Forked Out $33,000 For Secret Service At Trump Hotel

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin ’ s four-month stay in the lap of luxury at Trump ’ s D.C. hotel came with a $ 33,154 bonus for the Trump family , courtesy of the taxpayer-paid Secret Service .
As The Washington Post explained , Mnuchin spent several months in the Trump hotel ’ s 2,000-square-foot Franklin Suite .
During the pandemic , the Post notes the suite was listed at $ 8,300 a night , presumably a big markdown .
Mnuchin claims he got an undisclosed discounted rate .
Mnuchin footed the cost of that wet kiss to Trump .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ secretaries , moved into the room next door to screen Mnuchin ’ s visitors and packages - at taxpayer expense .
For that room , the Trump hotel charged the maximum rate that federal agencies were generally allowed to pay in 2017 : $ 242 per night , according to the billing records .
The Secret Service checked in Jan. 25 , according to billing records obtained by The Washington Post , and didn ’ t make its last payment until June 12 .
But that $ 33,000 is dwarfed by the total @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s businesses via the Secret Service .
Since the `` most transparent president in history '' has n't revealed how much he 's lined his own pockets from the Secret Service , the Post crunched some numbers and they 're eye-popping : Neither the Trump administration nor the Trump Organization has provided an accounting of how much federal agencies have paid to Trump ’ s company since Inauguration Day in 2017 .
The Post has sought to compile its own , using documents obtained via public-records requests .
The Post has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Secret Service to Trump properties , totaling more than $ 620,000 .
In many cases , the Secret Service was paying to rent hotel rooms at Trump ’ s properties to accompany the president while he traveled .
The actual total is likely to be higher , because the records released so far largely date from 2017 and 2018 .
At $ 310,000 a year , there 's little doubt Trump will have raked in $ 1 million or more on Secret Service payments , alone , by the time he leaves office @

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin’s four-month stay in the lap of luxury at Trump’s D.C. hotel came with a $33,154 bonus for the Trump family, courtesy of the taxpayer-paid Secret Service.
As The Washington Post explained, Mnuchin spent several months in the Trump hotel’s 2,000-square-foot Franklin Suite. During the pandemic, the Post notes the suite was listed at $8,300 a night, presumably a big markdown. Mnuchin claims he got an undisclosed discounted rate.
Mnuchin footed the cost of that wet kiss to Trump. The Secret Service, which traditionally protects treasury secretaries, moved into the room next door to screen Mnuchin’s visitors and packages - at taxpayer expense.
For that room, the Trump hotel charged the maximum rate that federal agencies were generally allowed to pay in 2017: $242 per night, according to the billing records. The Secret Service checked in Jan. 25, according to billing records obtained by The Washington Post, and didn’t make its last payment until June 12.
But that $33,000 is dwarfed by the total amount we taxpayers have shelled out to Trump’s businesses via the Secret Service. Since the "most transparent president in history" hasn't revealed how much he's lined his own pockets from the Secret Service, the Post crunched some numbers and they're eye-popping:
Neither the Trump administration nor the Trump Organization has provided an accounting of how much federal agencies have paid to Trump’s company since Inauguration Day in 2017. The Post has sought to compile its own, using documents obtained via public-records requests. The Post has identified more than 170 payments from the Secret Service to Trump properties, totaling more than $620,000. In many cases, the Secret Service was paying to rent hotel rooms at Trump’s properties to accompany the president while he traveled. The actual total is likely to be higher, because the records released so far largely date from 2017 and 2018.
At $310,000 a year, there's little doubt Trump will have raked in $1 million or more on Secret Service payments, alone, by the time he leaves office.


crooksandliars--2020-05-01--Fox Doc Debunks Tucker's Latest COVID19 Claim Live On Air

On Thursday night Fox News ' Tucker Carlson tried to `` break news '' by claiming children under the age of ten do not spread the coronavirus .
Is that because their hands are so clean , Tucker ?
What the hell ?
Carlson brought on his next guest , Fox fixture Dr. Mark Siegel , as the man to explain it all .
Dr. Siegel is one of those right-wing doctors Fox News uses .
We 've questioned his `` medical opinions '' many times on our website because often he speaks more like a right-wing political operative than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instead of trying to find common ground with Tucker Carlson , he immediately debunked his moronic claims .
Carlson opened up the segment and said , `` And now to the latest science .
There is new evidence that young children do not spread the coronavirus .
Not what we thought.
” He then introduced Dr. Mark Siegel , who instead of engaging in the usual howdy doody banter jumped right into the science and studies and made Tucker look like a fool .
After discussing studies from the UK , China and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , `` But it is not true that children don ’ t get it and it is not true that they can ’ t spread it .
Just much less likely than adults . ''
Dr. Siegel , maybe in an effort to minimize the damage he had done to Tucker 's asinine premise veered off into talking about Trump 's `` Operation Warp Speed '' .
Carlson quickly ended the segment .
Tucker never recovered and just thanked Siegel for his input .
That was the shortest segment I 've ever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News program .
PS .
Tucker was very specific about the `` under ten '' age .
Is that because of twelve-year-old Juliette , who went into cardiac arrest while hospitalized with Coronavirus ?
Thankfully , FOUR YEAR OLD Lincoln in Denver got well .

On Thursday night Fox News' Tucker Carlson tried to "break news" by claiming children under the age of ten do not spread the coronavirus.
Is that because their hands are so clean, Tucker? What the hell?
Carlson brought on his next guest, Fox fixture Dr. Mark Siegel, as the man to explain it all.
Dr. Siegel is one of those right-wing doctors Fox News uses. We've questioned his "medical opinions" many times on our website because often he speaks more like a right-wing political operative than a medical man.
But last night instead of trying to find common ground with Tucker Carlson, he immediately debunked his moronic claims.
Carlson opened up the segment and said, "And now to the latest science. There is new evidence that young children do not spread the coronavirus. Not what we thought.”
He then introduced Dr. Mark Siegel, who instead of engaging in the usual howdy doody banter jumped right into the science and studies and made Tucker look like a fool.
After discussing studies from the UK, China and the CDC on children, Dr. Siegel said, "But it is not true that children don’t get it and it is not true that they can’t spread it. Just much less likely than adults."
Tucker replied with a "Hmm."
Dr. Siegel, maybe in an effort to minimize the damage he had done to Tucker's asinine premise veered off into talking about Trump's "Operation Warp Speed". Carlson quickly ended the segment.
Tucker never recovered and just thanked Siegel for his input.
Wow.
That was the shortest segment I've ever seen Dr. Siegel have on a Fox News program.
PS. Tucker was very specific about the "under ten" age. Is that because of twelve-year-old Juliette, who went into cardiac arrest while hospitalized with Coronavirus?
Thankfully, FOUR YEAR OLD Lincoln in Denver got well.
The family of this 4-year-old says they did everything right, but the little boy still contracted coronavirus and had to fight for his life in a Denver ICU https://t.co/H3AngsI4V9 pic.twitter.com/9OpvNA9x1Q — CBS News (@CBSNews) April 25, 2020
Stop the nonsense, Tucker.


crooksandliars--2020-05-01--Trump Goes All 'Very Fine People' On Michigan's Legislature Terrorists

Well , you could see this coming .
After armed white male right-wing GUNMEN threatened the Michigan State Legislature yesterday @ @ @ @ @ stayed true to form : He wants `` that woman in Michigan '' to sit @ @ @ @ @ be reasonable .
Oh , wait , did somebody say Ferguson ?
There 's always @ @ @ @ @ Whitmer 's poll numbers in Michigan are WAY ahead of Trump 's , particularly on @ @ @ @ @ :

Well, you could see this coming. After armed white male right-wing GUNMEN threatened the Michigan State Legislature yesterday...
Multiple armed gunmen storm Michigan’s State House, State police are protecting @GovWhitmer and blocking the gunmen from gaining access to the house floor.
This is America in the age of Trump. pic.twitter.com/tLWR2bvjtR — Rob Gill (@vote4robgill) April 30, 2020
The Twit in Chief stayed true to form:
The Governor of Michigan should give a little, and put out the fire. These are very good people, but they are angry. They want their lives back again, safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 1, 2020
He wants "that woman in Michigan" to sit down with this guy and be reasonable.
These far right protesters seem very nice and reasonable. pic.twitter.com/Cg1sn6cI47 — Susan J. Demas 🏔 (@sjdemas) April 30, 2020
The double standard is appalling.
I'm old enough to remember when disabled protestors were dragged from state & federal buildings for trying to save their healthcare & their lives
Send in the National Guard & arrest their a**es
FTR the 1st pic is compliments of @SenCoryGardner pic.twitter.com/FHZMUZfLAu — Catherine Pikus (@Cat_MarqueeLV) April 30, 2020
HEY GUNS RIGHTS NUTS:
What if we showed up heavily armed at the US Capitol??
White House ???
McConnell's home???
These things would lead to ARRESTS.
WHY IS IT OK FOR MICHIGAN????
cc @BetsyDeVosED funded protests.#DomesticTerrorism — Bond 007-WarrenForVP🇺🇸 (@Wellness4You13) April 30, 2020
I covered the protests in Ferguson a few years ago and saw the response to protestors who were unarmed and black. Compare that to the response to armed white men storming a government building. — Tanzina Vega (@tanzinavega) May 1, 2020
Oh, wait, did somebody say Ferguson? There's always a tweet:
Obama is community organizing from the Oval Office on Ferguson today. More riots sure to follow. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 1, 2014
And Gretchen Whitmer's poll numbers in Michigan are WAY ahead of Trump's, particularly on handling of the coronavirus crisis:


crooksandliars--2020-05-01--Georgia Republicans Are Very, Very Worried About Internal Polling

You can see why Trump is so frantic and why the Republicans are so very desperate .
Via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution : An internal poll conducted for the Georgia House GOP Caucus points to troubling signs for Republican leaders : President Donald Trump is deadlocked with Joe Biden and voters aren ’ t giving the White House , Gov .
Brian Kemp or the Legislature high marks for the coronavirus response .
The poll also suggests trouble for U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler , showing the former financial executive with 11 % of the vote and essentially tied with Democrats Matt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Doug Collins leads the November field with 29 % of the vote , and outdoes Loeffler among Republicans by a 62-18 margin .
[ ... ] Voters are evenly split on Trump , but Kemp ’ s disapproval rating ( 52 % ) outweigh his approval rating ( 43 % ) .
Loeffler is deeper underwater after grappling with an uproar over her stock transactions during the pandemic , with an approval of 20 % and disapproval of 47 % .
Collins ’ approval rating is about 10 percentage points higher than his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is controlling the spread of the coronavirus and returning life to normal ( 35 % ) , followed by rebuilding the economy ( 25 % ) and providing access to affordable , quality healthcare ( 17 % ) .
Trump and Biden are in a statistical tie in the race for president , with Trump at 45 % and Biden at 44 % .
Only about 5 % of Georgians are undecided , and another 6 % back a third-party candidate .

You can see why Trump is so frantic and why the Republicans are so very desperate. Via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
An internal poll conducted for the Georgia House GOP Caucus points to troubling signs for Republican leaders: President Donald Trump is deadlocked with Joe Biden and voters aren’t giving the White House, Gov. Brian Kemp or the Legislature high marks for the coronavirus response.
The poll also suggests trouble for U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, showing the former financial executive with 11% of the vote and essentially tied with Democrats Matt Lieberman and Raphael Warnock. U.S. Rep. Doug Collins leads the November field with 29% of the vote, and outdoes Loeffler among Republicans by a 62-18 margin.
[...] Voters are evenly split on Trump, but Kemp’s disapproval rating (52%) outweigh his approval rating (43%). Loeffler is deeper underwater after grappling with an uproar over her stock transactions during the pandemic, with an approval of 20% and disapproval of 47%. Collins’ approval rating is about 10 percentage points higher than his disapproval.
Georgians say their top priority is controlling the spread of the coronavirus and returning life to normal (35%), followed by rebuilding the economy (25%) and providing access to affordable, quality healthcare (17%).
Trump and Biden are in a statistical tie in the race for president, with Trump at 45% and Biden at 44%. Only about 5% of Georgians are undecided, and another 6% back a third-party candidate.


crooksandliars--2020-05-01--Joe Biden On Tara Reade: 'I'm Saying Unequivocably It Never Happened'

Joe Biden appeared on Morning Joe to address the Tara Reade allegations .
Via the Washington Post : Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Friday denied that he sexually assaulted a former Senate aide , addressing the allegation publicly for the first time under increasing pressure from his party to speak about it .
“ I want to address allegations by a former staffer that I engaged in misconduct 27 years ago , ” Biden said in a statement released by his campaign .
“ They aren ’ t true .
This never happened.
” Biden echoed his denial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” shortly after the statement was released .
“ No it is not true , ” he said .
“ It never , never happened.
” Biden also called on the National Archives to release any record of a complaint Reade says she filed .
“ If there was ever any such complaint , the record will be there , ” he said .
In his MSNBC interview , Biden , who appeared from his makeshift home television studio in Deleware , faced a series of questions from host Mika Brzezinski .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to her questions .
The former vice president said he had not reached out to Reade .
“ When she first made the claim , we made it clear it never happened , ” he said .
He also said that he had not seen any complaint filed from her nor was he aware of anyone who had .
“ I ’ ve never seen it , ” he said .
Biden declined to comment on Reade ’ s motivations for her claims .
“ I ’ m not going to question her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , adding , “ I don ’ t understand it .
”

Joe Biden appeared on Morning Joe to address the Tara Reade allegations. Via the Washington Post:
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Friday denied that he sexually assaulted a former Senate aide, addressing the allegation publicly for the first time under increasing pressure from his party to speak about it.
“I want to address allegations by a former staffer that I engaged in misconduct 27 years ago,” Biden said in a statement released by his campaign. “They aren’t true. This never happened.”
Biden echoed his denial on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” shortly after the statement was released. “No it is not true,” he said. “It never, never happened.”
Biden also called on the National Archives to release any record of a complaint Reade says she filed. “If there was ever any such complaint, the record will be there,” he said.
In his MSNBC interview, Biden, who appeared from his makeshift home television studio in Deleware, faced a series of questions from host Mika Brzezinski. He began by providing brief and direct responses to her questions.
The former vice president said he had not reached out to Reade. “When she first made the claim, we made it clear it never happened,” he said.
He also said that he had not seen any complaint filed from her nor was he aware of anyone who had. “I’ve never seen it,” he said.
Biden declined to comment on Reade’s motivations for her claims.
“I’m not going to question her motive,” Biden said of Reade, adding, “I don’t understand it.”


crooksandliars--2020-05-02--The Grim Reaper Welcomes Floridians Back To Their Beaches

Seems about where we 're at .
( CNN ) Most Floridians hitting the newly reopened beaches are trading stay-at-home @ @ @ @ @ .
But when he heads out , Daniel Uhlfelder dons a raggedy black robe , @ @ @ @ @ black cloth and wields his scythe .
Uhfelder , an attorney , is haunting Florida @ @ @ @ @ Reaper to protest their reopening , which he believes is premature .
It 's a @ @ @ @ @ stay home .

Seems about where we're at.
Source: CNN
(CNN) Most Floridians hitting the newly reopened beaches are trading stay-at-home sweatpants for shorts and swimsuits.
But when he heads out, Daniel Uhlfelder dons a raggedy black robe, conceals his face with a black cloth and wields his scythe.
Uhfelder, an attorney, is haunting Florida beaches dressed as the Grim Reaper to protest their reopening, which he believes is premature.
It's a macabre plea to beachgoers to stay home.


crooksandliars--2020-05-02--Pence Retaliates Against Reporter For Telling The Truth, That Knew He Should Wear A Mask

The most amazing fact about the entire Trump White House is not that they ’ re constantly wrong .
Any deliberately ignorant , boneheaded ideologue can be wrong—just ask Louie Gohmert .
Nope , what has set Team Trump apart from the very beginning is their inability to admit to being wrong about the smallest , most obvious thing .
Ever .
The phone call was perfect .
The inauguration crowd was huge .
Little things like transcripts and photos be damned .
Fast climbing the ranks of things that are wrong , undeniably wrong , fully documented wrong , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face wrong … and yet still being inexplicably defended by people who just can ’ t let anything go , is Mike Pence ’ s face mask .
Or rather , the fact that Mike Pence doesn ’ t apparently have a face mask .
Four days after Pence offered himself up as the great white virus vector , his staff isn ’ t just finding new ways to justify the unjustifiable—they ’ re threatening to sue reporters for showing what Pence actually did .
These are the facts : The Mayo Clinic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visit their facility needed to wear a mask .
Not only was that information previously acknowledge by the Mayo staff ( in a now deleted tweet ) , Pence himself didn ’ t deny it when the White House was in Excuse Round # 1 .
Everyone with Pence at the clinic was wearing a mask .
The video of him strolling around exhaling his milk breath into everyone ’ s face is immediately striking expressly because everyone else is clearly following the rules , and Pence is so clearly not following the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about why he wasn ’ t wearing a mask wasn ’ t to say he didn ’ t know he needed to wear a mask—because it was just damn obvious that he knew he was supposed to be wearing a mask .
Instead Pence claimed he didn ’ t wear a mask because he wanted to look healthcare workers “ in the eye.
” Which shows that Pence knew he should have been wearing a mask , but doesn ’ t know how to wear a mask .
Pence then engaged the claim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wear a mask because he gets tested for COVID-19 all the time .
That ’ s maybe not the best thing to say in a nation where most healthcare workers , nursing home workers , and people who are displaying symptoms still can ’ t get tested .
It also offers absolutely no protection to people who could be infected by Pence between those regular tests .
In the third round of how to bungle a response , “ Mother ” Karen Pence was dispatched to Fox , where she denied everything up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ husband was unaware that everyone in the clinic was required to wear a mask .
Because the idea that Mike Pence is just intensely , intensely ignorant is always an acceptable position .
Also , it ’ s apparently okay for Mother to blatantly lie on nationwide TV .
And now The Washington Post is ready with the next round in this thing that might be funny if it wasn ’ t putting people ’ s lives at risk .
Pence ’ s office is threatening to sue a reporter for revealing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warned journalists accompanying Pence to the clinic that they would need to wear masks .
Not only did Pence ’ s office know that masks were required , they—not Mayo Clinic , but Pence ’ s team—told journalists they would have to wear masks to go along .
Voice of America Reporter Steve Herman spilled the beans that all the journalists “ were notified by the office of @ VP the day before the trip that wearing of masks was required by the @ MayoClinic and to prepare accordingly.
” Clearly showing that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are , shockingly , a big fat lie .
For making it clear that Karen Pence was simply out-and-out lying to America in the continued effort to cover up this event , an event that would be the silliest aspect of the entire crisis had not Donald Trump suggested drinking bleach , Trump ’ s staff is now claiming that Herman “ violated the off-the-record terms ” of the memo telling him to wear a mask for the trip .
He has also been banned from Air Force Two and from coming along @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s not in these statements is any claim from Pence ’ s staff that Herman is lying .
That ’ s exactly the problem—Herman told the truth .
But his truth is getting in the way of their lies … and that clearly can ’ t be allowed .

The most amazing fact about the entire Trump White House is not that they’re constantly wrong. Any deliberately ignorant, boneheaded ideologue can be wrong—just ask Louie Gohmert. Nope, what has set Team Trump apart from the very beginning is their inability to admit to being wrong about the smallest, most obvious thing. Ever. The phone call was perfect. The inauguration crowd was huge. Little things like transcripts and photos be damned.
Fast climbing the ranks of things that are wrong, undeniably wrong, fully documented wrong, obviously, on camera, in your face wrong … and yet still being inexplicably defended by people who just can’t let anything go, is Mike Pence’s face mask. Or rather, the fact that Mike Pence doesn’t apparently have a face mask. Four days after Pence offered himself up as the great white virus vector, his staff isn’t just finding new ways to justify the unjustifiable—they’re threatening to sue reporters for showing what Pence actually did.
These are the facts:
The Mayo Clinic informed Mike Pence that anyone coming to visit their facility needed to wear a mask. Not only was that information previously acknowledge by the Mayo staff (in a now deleted tweet), Pence himself didn’t deny it when the White House was in Excuse Round #1.
Everyone with Pence at the clinic was wearing a mask. The video of him strolling around exhaling his milk breath into everyone’s face is immediately striking expressly because everyone else is clearly following the rules, and Pence is so clearly not following the rules.
Pence initial response when questioned about why he wasn’t wearing a mask wasn’t to say he didn’t know he needed to wear a mask—because it was just damn obvious that he knew he was supposed to be wearing a mask. Instead Pence claimed he didn’t wear a mask because he wanted to look healthcare workers “in the eye.” Which shows that Pence knew he should have been wearing a mask, but doesn’t know how to wear a mask.
Pence then engaged the claim that he didn’t need to wear a mask because he gets tested for COVID-19 all the time. That’s maybe not the best thing to say in a nation where most healthcare workers, nursing home workers, and people who are displaying symptoms still can’t get tested. It also offers absolutely no protection to people who could be infected by Pence between those regular tests.
In the third round of how to bungle a response, “Mother” Karen Pence was dispatched to Fox, where she denied everything up to that point and claimed that her husband was unaware that everyone in the clinic was required to wear a mask. Because the idea that Mike Pence is just intensely, intensely ignorant is always an acceptable position. Also, it’s apparently okay for Mother to blatantly lie on nationwide TV.
And now The Washington Post is ready with the next round in this thing that might be funny if it wasn’t putting people’s lives at risk. Pence’s office is threatening to sue a reporter for revealing the fact that Pence’s own office warned journalists accompanying Pence to the clinic that they would need to wear masks.
Not only did Pence’s office know that masks were required, they—not Mayo Clinic, but Pence’s team—told journalists they would have to wear masks to go along. Voice of America Reporter Steve Herman spilled the beans that all the journalists “were notified by the office of @VP the day before the trip that wearing of masks was required by the @MayoClinic and to prepare accordingly.” Clearly showing that latest claims offered up by Mother Pence are, shockingly, a big fat lie.
For making it clear that Karen Pence was simply out-and-out lying to America in the continued effort to cover up this event, an event that would be the silliest aspect of the entire crisis had not Donald Trump suggested drinking bleach, Trump’s staff is now claiming that Herman “violated the off-the-record terms” of the memo telling him to wear a mask for the trip. He has also been banned from Air Force Two and from coming along on future Pence trips.
Notice what’s not in these statements is any claim from Pence’s staff that Herman is lying. That’s exactly the problem—Herman told the truth. But his truth is getting in the way of their lies … and that clearly can’t be allowed.
Posted with permission from Daily Kos.