hotair--2020-04-03--Still struggling for attention, Biden leans on friendly media

The coronavirus pandemic was a tough break for Joe Biden .
He seemed to have the world by the tail in early March and then everything shut down and he was forced to retreat to his rec room .
His initial plan was to offer daily shadow briefings in which he would criticize the president and get himself on the news .
After a rough first week of that he launched a new format for the Joe Show , turning it into a podcast that allowed him to have remote guests .
But as the crisis wears on , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attracting big ratings , Biden has settled into a more comfortable approach .
He ’ s relying on the media to carry his message , whatever that is .
Since March 24 , Biden has done 13 media interviews across news networks , late-night shows and Hispanic radio , according to a list provided by his campaign .
Over the course of two weeks , from March 14 to 28 , the former vice president ’ s virtual events and digital content have generated views from more than 20 million people .
Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t have the same kind of megaphone as Trump .
But they argue that his current strategy has allowed him to get out in front of the crisis without giving the appearance of openly politicking .
“ He ’ s not going to do a daily press conference to try and achieve parity with Trump , ” said former Rep. Steve Israel ( D-N.Y. ) , who has endorsed Biden .
“ That would look overtly political.
” “ Doing these shows one by one , doing interviews selectively strikes just the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ A major speech on coronavirus probably wouldn ’ t be as effective with voters as Joe Biden just being Joe Biden when he ’ s interviewed by talk-show hosts and late-night hosts .
That breaks through.
” Biden suggested that President Trump ought to call former President Obama for advice on the crisis , but presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway responded by asking why Biden hadn ’ t called President Trump to offer his support .
Naturally , there were a lot of snarky responses to that suggestion on the left : But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ struck a nerve with Biden or maybe his campaign saw some advantage in it .
Whatever the case , the next day Biden told reporters he was in fact trying to set up a call with the White House .
Generally speaking , Biden attempts to be helpful rather than go on the attack , isn ’ t playing well on the left .
Yesterday Alex Pareene wrote a piece titled “ Joe Biden is Wasting a Crisis.
” An electoral strategy of declining to attack your opponent for failing to contain a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives may seem counterintuitive , but it is very much intentional… A generation of Democrats have ceded ground to the other side at every crisis point , somehow coming to believe it would be either gauche or counterproductive to try to take advantage of one… instead of spending every day in an empty Target parking lot demanding to know where the tests Trump promised weeks ago are , Joe Biden is ( I am not making this up ) planning to try to call the president to give him some leadership tips .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ question if Biden is the person who can become the aggressive counter to President Trump in a crisis .
But even if he was , there is a real risk to taking that route .
In a crisis it ’ s pretty common for people to want to rally around the leader .
That ’ s already happened a little bit with Trump .
Having Biden attempt to shout criticisms from his basement could very quickly backfire for one obvious reason : Biden really has no skin in the game .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you have zero responsibility for anything but I don ’ t think that ’ s what people are looking for in a president .
Of course there will always be people on the left who just want everyone to attack Trump all the time .
They ’ ll cheer for any effort in that direction .
But that doesn ’ t mean it ’ s a winning message in the general election .
Sincerity and trying to actually be helpful is probably going to make more of an impact on voters than any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thus far .
Frankly , this is the first time Biden has been even mildly relevant in weeks .

The coronavirus pandemic was a tough break for Joe Biden. He seemed to have the world by the tail in early March and then everything shut down and he was forced to retreat to his rec room. His initial plan was to offer daily shadow briefings in which he would criticize the president and get himself on the news. After a rough first week of that he launched a new format for the Joe Show, turning it into a podcast that allowed him to have remote guests. But as the crisis wears on, and Trump’s daily briefings have been attracting big ratings, Biden has settled into a more comfortable approach. He’s relying on the media to carry his message, whatever that is.
Since March 24, Biden has done 13 media interviews across news networks, late-night shows and Hispanic radio, according to a list provided by his campaign. Over the course of two weeks, from March 14 to 28, the former vice president’s virtual events and digital content have generated views from more than 20 million people. Biden’s allies acknowledge that he doesn’t have the same kind of megaphone as Trump. But they argue that his current strategy has allowed him to get out in front of the crisis without giving the appearance of openly politicking. “He’s not going to do a daily press conference to try and achieve parity with Trump,” said former Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), who has endorsed Biden. “That would look overtly political.” “Doing these shows one by one, doing interviews selectively strikes just the right tone,” Israel added. “A major speech on coronavirus probably wouldn’t be as effective with voters as Joe Biden just being Joe Biden when he’s interviewed by talk-show hosts and late-night hosts. That breaks through.”
Biden suggested that President Trump ought to call former President Obama for advice on the crisis, but presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway responded by asking why Biden hadn’t called President Trump to offer his support.
Naturally, there were a lot of snarky responses to that suggestion on the left:
Why won't the White House call Biden and ask him to bail them out? https://t.co/Vs86GIqWER — Markos Moulitsas (@markos) April 1, 2020
But the suggestion that he should call apparently struck a nerve with Biden or maybe his campaign saw some advantage in it. Whatever the case, the next day Biden told reporters he was in fact trying to set up a call with the White House.
In Zoom press conference with reporters, Biden says his team is working with the White House to set up a call with Trump — Caitlin Huey-Burns (@CHueyBurns) April 2, 2020
Generally speaking, Biden attempts to be helpful rather than go on the attack, isn’t playing well on the left. Yesterday Alex Pareene wrote a piece titled “Joe Biden is Wasting a Crisis.”
An electoral strategy of declining to attack your opponent for failing to contain a crisis that has already taken thousands of lives may seem counterintuitive, but it is very much intentional… A generation of Democrats have ceded ground to the other side at every crisis point, somehow coming to believe it would be either gauche or counterproductive to try to take advantage of one… instead of spending every day in an empty Target parking lot demanding to know where the tests Trump promised weeks ago are, Joe Biden is (I am not making this up) planning to try to call the president to give him some leadership tips.
I think it’s an open question if Biden is the person who can become the aggressive counter to President Trump in a crisis. But even if he was, there is a real risk to taking that route. In a crisis it’s pretty common for people to want to rally around the leader. That’s already happened a little bit with Trump. Having Biden attempt to shout criticisms from his basement could very quickly backfire for one obvious reason: Biden really has no skin in the game. It’s easy to play armchair quarterback when you have zero responsibility for anything but I don’t think that’s what people are looking for in a president.
Of course there will always be people on the left who just want everyone to attack Trump all the time. They’ll cheer for any effort in that direction. But that doesn’t mean it’s a winning message in the general election. Sincerity and trying to actually be helpful is probably going to make more of an impact on voters than any of the stuff Biden has been doing thus far. Frankly, this is the first time Biden has been even mildly relevant in weeks.


hotair--2020-04-03--Robert Kraft criticized for good deed - friendship with Trump cited

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft answered a call for help in securing a shipment of N95 masks from China and the critics were quick to speak up .
The criticism has more to do with the Trump administration and Kraft ’ s friendship with President Trump than anything else .
No good deed goes unpunished .
Last night I watched Anderson Cooper ’ s show on CNN .
I tuned in late and only watched a couple of segments – one was with Governor Cuomo and Kraft .
Cooper brought on Kraft to talk about an extraordinary gesture made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker , like other governors , is scrambling to locate and purchase personal protective equipment for health care workers .
Among his friends is Jonathan Kraft .
Jonathan is the chairman of the board at Massachusetts General Hospital and he is also the Patriots ’ president .
As Baker was sounding a plea for help among his influential connections in the business world , the Krafts stepped up .
Governor Baker made a deal to purchase more than a million masks but had to find a way to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kraft family ’ s plane was offered up as transportation .
This was easier said than done , though .
The plane is used to fly the New England Patriots around , it isn ’ t set up as a cargo carrier .
The plane had to be modified .
Along with that , the red tape involved in China presented a huge challenge for everyone involved .
Then , most critically , they had to secure permission to land in China—a delicate feat during this global pandemic .
Even if they received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pilots would be required by China to quarantine for 14 days before returning .
The primary issue was the simplest : getting the right to land the 767 .
Gov .
Baker , the U.S. State Department , Robert Kraft and others sent letters to China ’ s consul general in New York requesting the special permits .
The letters , dated March 24 to 30 , ask for waivers to allow the humanitarian mission and state that no member of the crew would leave the aircraft .
By last Friday night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Ohio , because the plane needed an avionics upgrade for the international trip .
The mission received waivers from China to land and do so without quarantining—nobody would be on board besides the necessary flight crew—but they were told the crew still needed visas .
So the entire group scrambled to a local pharmacy and took pictures for the application .
The pictures were flown to New York to be taken to the Chinese consulate , and then flown back to Ohio .
Huang Ping , China ’ s consul general in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major ally in the effort to get the rush jobs done , including by opening the consulate over the weekend to get the visas processed in time , people familiar with the matter said .
The crew brought along maintenance people and tools , just in case the plane experienced any problems in China .
Most importantly , besides the use of the plane , the Kraft family agreed to pay $ 2M , about half the cost of the goods .
The order for 1.7 million N95 masks was produced by various @ @ @ @ @ @ @ logistics by using a connection to provide boots on the ground .
Executives at Chinese tech giant Tencent offered up a crew of over a dozen people to help make sure the masks were counted , inspected and move quickly through customs .
One amazing part of this story is that the American crew was only granted permission to be on the ground in China for 3 hours .
It took 2 hours and 57 minutes .
Some masks will arrive in a second shipment , as there wasn ’ t enough room @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be loaded at once .
The Republican governor of Massachusetts works with the Democrat governor of New York , Andrew Cuomo , trying to secure medical supplies and equipment to deal with the coronavirus pandemic .
On CNN last night , Robert Kraft announced that the plane had arrived at Logan Airport in Boston and that with agreement by Governor Baker , 300,000 of the masks would be sent to New York .
Great story , right ?
In the midst of so many sad and bad stories about the pandemic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hear a good story .
Not so for some Trump critics , though .
Atlantic staff writer Jemele Hill is an outspoken critic of President Trump .
She tweeted out her displeasure with Kraft ’ s generosity , because , Trump .
The responses to her ugliness only caused her to double down .
After one Twitter user asked her if it was “ necessary ” to make such political attacks , Hill replied , “ Yes it is necessary .
If we don ’ t critically think about how we got here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ If you consider facts divisive , oh well .
But maybe these owners and billionaires need to better understand that just as their money can do a good deed , it can cause also cause irreparable damage , ” Hill told another Twitter user .
A Democrat on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ’ s leadership team , Representative Katherine Clark from Melrose , MA , weighed in .
You would think that Clark would know the basics in government , since she holds a federal office , but she missed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to provide for its residents .
Then , when the need is more than the state can handle , the federal government steps in .
Clark should know that this is exactly how government is supposed to work – it ’ s federalism playing out .
Democrats immediately look to the federal government as the first responder , not the back-up responder in disasters and in this case , the pandemic crisis .
Governors Baker and Cuomo are setting a good example of working together regardless of politics .
Too bad Rep. Clark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to focus on the needs of her constituents instead of taking shots from the sideline against the Trump administration .
No one was prepared for this coronavirus pandemic .
There is room for criticism all around .
There will be plenty of time later for reviews and lessons learned .
Now is the time to pull together and help those in need .
The petty politics can wait for another time .

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft answered a call for help in securing a shipment of N95 masks from China and the critics were quick to speak up. The criticism has more to do with the Trump administration and Kraft’s friendship with President Trump than anything else. No good deed goes unpunished.
Last night I watched Anderson Cooper’s show on CNN. I tuned in late and only watched a couple of segments – one was with Governor Cuomo and Kraft. Cooper brought on Kraft to talk about an extraordinary gesture made by Kraft and his son, Jonathan.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, like other governors, is scrambling to locate and purchase personal protective equipment for health care workers. Among his friends is Jonathan Kraft. Jonathan is the chairman of the board at Massachusetts General Hospital and he is also the Patriots’ president. As Baker was sounding a plea for help among his influential connections in the business world, the Krafts stepped up. Governor Baker made a deal to purchase more than a million masks but had to find a way to get them shipped back to Massachusetts. The Kraft family’s plane was offered up as transportation.
This was easier said than done, though. The plane is used to fly the New England Patriots around, it isn’t set up as a cargo carrier. The plane had to be modified. Along with that, the red tape involved in China presented a huge challenge for everyone involved.
Then, most critically, they had to secure permission to land in China—a delicate feat during this global pandemic. Even if they received the proper permits, they were worried the pilots would be required by China to quarantine for 14 days before returning. The primary issue was the simplest: getting the right to land the 767. Gov. Baker, the U.S. State Department, Robert Kraft and others sent letters to China’s consul general in New York requesting the special permits. The letters, dated March 24 to 30, ask for waivers to allow the humanitarian mission and state that no member of the crew would leave the aircraft. By last Friday night, the crew had moved to Wilmington, Ohio, because the plane needed an avionics upgrade for the international trip. The mission received waivers from China to land and do so without quarantining—nobody would be on board besides the necessary flight crew—but they were told the crew still needed visas. So the entire group scrambled to a local pharmacy and took pictures for the application. The pictures were flown to New York to be taken to the Chinese consulate, and then flown back to Ohio. Huang Ping, China’s consul general in New York, proved to be a major ally in the effort to get the rush jobs done, including by opening the consulate over the weekend to get the visas processed in time, people familiar with the matter said.
The crew brought along maintenance people and tools, just in case the plane experienced any problems in China. Most importantly, besides the use of the plane, the Kraft family agreed to pay $2M, about half the cost of the goods. The order for 1.7 million N95 masks was produced by various manufacturers across China. The Krafts provided logistics by using a connection to provide boots on the ground. Executives at Chinese tech giant Tencent offered up a crew of over a dozen people to help make sure the masks were counted, inspected and move quickly through customs.
One amazing part of this story is that the American crew was only granted permission to be on the ground in China for 3 hours. It took 2 hours and 57 minutes. Some masks will arrive in a second shipment, as there wasn’t enough room on the plane for the whole order to be loaded at once.
The Republican governor of Massachusetts works with the Democrat governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, trying to secure medical supplies and equipment to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. On CNN last night, Robert Kraft announced that the plane had arrived at Logan Airport in Boston and that with agreement by Governor Baker, 300,000 of the masks would be sent to New York.
Great story, right? In the midst of so many sad and bad stories about the pandemic, it’s a welcome relief to hear a good story. Not so for some Trump critics, though. Atlantic staff writer Jemele Hill is an outspoken critic of President Trump. She tweeted out her displeasure with Kraft’s generosity, because, Trump.
This is where I remind people that Robert Kraft is friends with Donald Trump and gave to his campaign. It’s incredible the Kraft family is doing this, but hope they understand their money helped empower their ✌🏾friend✌🏾 https://t.co/IytC5C5bIX — Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) April 2, 2020
The responses to her ugliness only caused her to double down.
After one Twitter user asked her if it was “necessary” to make such political attacks, Hill replied, “Yes it is necessary. If we don’t critically think about how we got here, we will be back here again.” “If you consider facts divisive, oh well. But maybe these owners and billionaires need to better understand that just as their money can do a good deed, it can cause also cause irreparable damage,” Hill told another Twitter user.
A Democrat on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s leadership team, Representative Katherine Clark from Melrose, MA, weighed in.
“This is not how it is supposed to work,” said Representative Katherine Clark of Melrose, a member of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s leadership team. She described herself as “very grateful” for the Kraft family’s generosity and help getting the critical gear, but said “what we need is a coordinated federal system.”
You would think that Clark would know the basics in government, since she holds a federal office, but she missed the part about the state’s responsibility to provide for its residents. Then, when the need is more than the state can handle, the federal government steps in. Clark should know that this is exactly how government is supposed to work – it’s federalism playing out. Democrats immediately look to the federal government as the first responder, not the back-up responder in disasters and in this case, the pandemic crisis. Governors Baker and Cuomo are setting a good example of working together regardless of politics. Too bad Rep. Clark can’t control herself long enough to focus on the needs of her constituents instead of taking shots from the sideline against the Trump administration.
No one was prepared for this coronavirus pandemic. There is room for criticism all around. There will be plenty of time later for reviews and lessons learned. Now is the time to pull together and help those in need. The petty politics can wait for another time.


hotair--2020-04-03--Cuomo: You're damn right I'm ordering a Code Red to seize ventilators, PPE

The crisis in New York City has gotten bad enough for government seizures as well as rationing of critical-need medical supplies .
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced plans to send the National Guard out to seize ventilators and personal protective equipment throughout the state , from both public and private institutions .
“ We don ’ t have enough — period , ” Cuomo declared today , and argued that it would be “ irresponsible ” not to seize and redeploy the inventory on hand : Driving this decision is new data showing that the state has not yet reached its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the curve : Gov .
Andrew Cuomo says he will issue an executive order Friday authorizing the National Guard to seize ventilators and personal protective equipment ( PPE ) from facilities in the state and redistribute them to hospitals most in need , as New York saw its biggest single-day increase in deaths from the virus .
The new order comes a day after the governor said he had only enough ventilators in his stockpile to last six days at the “ current burn rate.
” And the trajectory keeps going up — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people to COVID-19 , more than the number lost in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 , 2001 .
Nearly 103,000 have been infected as of Friday , a jump of more than 10,000 in 24 hours .
“ I will return it to you or pay you for it , ” Cuomo said to the facilities who may have ventilators taken .
“ I ’ m not going to be in a position where people are dying and we have ventilators in our state somewhere else.
” In the short run , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both tactically and politically .
In an emergency , executives score more points by acting decisively rather than cautiously .
Sending off the National Guard to seize supplies of ventilators and PPE is about as Code Red as you get ( so far ) in this crisis .
Furthermore , the argument makes sense in this acute context — how do you explain leaving inventory unused elsewhere that could have saved lives in New York City ?
In the longer run , though , it ’ s a gamble .
Cuomo ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t break out with anywhere near the intensity elsewhere in the state any time soon , or that more supplies will arrive to replace the seized materials before they do .
If he loses that bet , Cuomo will be left attempting to explain why he forcibly stripped resources from communities that had the foresight to stock up on them and left them unable to save the lives that equipment was intended to protect .
Unfortunately for Cuomo , these are the choices he has left in the raging outbreak in the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mayor chose not to act decisively until it was far too late , and the very nature of the city practically guaranteed disaster would strike anyway .
Cuomo ’ s doing the best he can with the cards he was dealt .
It is , however , an object lesson to other executives around the country to act decisively soon enough to avoid having to make these calls before ramped-up production can deliver these resources in abundance .

The crisis in New York City has gotten bad enough for government seizures as well as rationing of critical-need medical supplies. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced plans to send the National Guard out to seize ventilators and personal protective equipment throughout the state, from both public and private institutions. “We don’t have enough — period,” Cuomo declared today, and argued that it would be “irresponsible” not to seize and redeploy the inventory on hand:
NY Gov. Cuomo says he will sign an executive order that allows states to seize ventilators and PPE from institutions that do not need them and redeploy them to hospitals that do need them https://t.co/94RMk405cZ pic.twitter.com/qbt0HyKbwt — CBS News (@CBSNews) April 3, 2020
Driving this decision is new data showing that the state has not yet reached its peak and is not succeeding in flattening the curve:
Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he will issue an executive order Friday authorizing the National Guard to seize ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE) from facilities in the state and redistribute them to hospitals most in need, as New York saw its biggest single-day increase in deaths from the virus. The new order comes a day after the governor said he had only enough ventilators in his stockpile to last six days at the “current burn rate.” And the trajectory keeps going up — New York state has now lost 2,935 people to COVID-19, more than the number lost in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Nearly 103,000 have been infected as of Friday, a jump of more than 10,000 in 24 hours. “I will return it to you or pay you for it,” Cuomo said to the facilities who may have ventilators taken. “I’m not going to be in a position where people are dying and we have ventilators in our state somewhere else.”
In the short run, it’s likely a smart move both tactically and politically. In an emergency, executives score more points by acting decisively rather than cautiously. Sending off the National Guard to seize supplies of ventilators and PPE is about as Code Red as you get (so far) in this crisis. Furthermore, the argument makes sense in this acute context — how do you explain leaving inventory unused elsewhere that could have saved lives in New York City?
In the longer run, though, it’s a gamble. Cuomo’s betting that either that COVID-19 won’t break out with anywhere near the intensity elsewhere in the state any time soon, or that more supplies will arrive to replace the seized materials before they do. If he loses that bet, Cuomo will be left attempting to explain why he forcibly stripped resources from communities that had the foresight to stock up on them and left them unable to save the lives that equipment was intended to protect.
Unfortunately for Cuomo, these are the choices he has left in the raging outbreak in the country’s most populous city. Its mayor chose not to act decisively until it was far too late, and the very nature of the city practically guaranteed disaster would strike anyway. Cuomo’s doing the best he can with the cards he was dealt. It is, however, an object lesson to other executives around the country to act decisively soon enough to avoid having to make these calls before ramped-up production can deliver these resources in abundance.


hotair--2020-04-03--Fauci: I don't understand why every state hasn't shut down yet

Is the problem that some states haven ’ t issued stay-at-home orders yet ?
Or is the problem people ignoring orders in states that have issued them ?
Good lord : Fauci was asked last night about a national shutdown order .
Trump doesn ’ t have the authority to do that , as Fauci seems to realize , but of course governors in the holdout states could do it .
The 12 states without the orders in place are enjoying freedom , sweet freedom , before their activity inevitably seeds their own local outbreaks : “ We ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flu , with older people sheltering in place and the rest of us taking the best care we can , ” says Brian Joens , whose Iowa City eatery , Joensy ’ s , is doing a brisk take-out business of its fabled pork tenderloin .
“ But let ’ s be honest , what country do we live in ?
” says Joens .
“ It ’ s the USA , which is freedom , freedom to choose .
When we get notes from the government saying do this or do that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not what this country is built on .
People should be smart , and you live with your choices.
” … “ I ’ m looking out the window of my dealership , and people are everywhere , it ’ s unbelievable , ” says Chris Mayes , who owns Big Red Kia and Oklahoma Motorcars along the Mile of Cars commercial strip in Norman .
“ We ’ re not on lockdown here.
” … “ When I see images from other U.S. cities , where there ’ s just no one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out , that is the total opposite of what we ’ re seeing here , ” he says , adding that he rarely strays from his showroom .
“ And I ’ m absolutely worried about it.
” On the one hand , people clearly are practicing social distancing in states like Iowa and Oklahoma despite the lack of stay-at-home orders .
Check the Kinsa “ health weather ” map and you ’ ll find dramatic declines in fevers in both states .
Exhortations from experts like Fauci and the spiraling death toll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effect on behavior across the country .
On the other hand , a lesson from the data according to Kinsa itself is that formal orders by the state do measurably affect behavior .
Notice the reversal of fortunes between Santa Clara , California and Miami-Dade , Florida in this graphic published by the Miami Herald : Governors who ’ ve refused to issue orders thus far are looking at the limited *known* spread of the disease in their states and wagering that keeping their local economies going won ’ t result in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reason .
Maybe the virus will burn itself out before it reaches the heartland ; maybe effective therapeutics will arrive before the virus does in full force .
Maybe lower density in rural states will limit the contagion .
That ’ s a high-risk wager .
A different wager , which would be less explicable , is that they understand and accept that sustained economic activity now will mean a wider , deadlier outbreak when the virus finally descends on them .
They ’ re under no illusions that they can dodge the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it off , knowing that doing so will allow it to spread further , because it ’ s important to keep people on the job to whatever degree they can .
I don ’ t know about that : The national strategy is to put out the fire everywhere all at once so that we don ’ t have new blazes breaking out in one region just as they ’ re being semi-extinguished elsewhere .
If the northeast and west coast are getting through their first wave just as the first wave is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around the country could seed new outbreaks .
If we don ’ t have a national strategy , states will need to seriously consider interstate travel bans — assuming they ’ re even legal .
The economic pain will last longer too : Doubtless the economies in states like Iowa and Oklahoma are suffering already due to the freefall elsewhere in the country .
If they start getting hit by COVID-19 just as other regions are beginning to do business again , that ’ s another month or two of local recession while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strategy is also leading to inefficient distribution of medical supplies , say experts : “ This is a problem that we should be dealing with over the entire nation , ” said William Haseltine , a biologist famed for his work on HIV and AIDS .
“ This is a national problem — it needs a national response.
” … “ This is not a partisan issue , ” said Kenneth Bernard , a retired Navy rear admiral and biosecurity expert who served in the administrations of Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a central command presence on this .
There needs to be a person who can act as a focal point for tests , personal protective equipment and countermeasures — acquisition and distribution .
Right now , it ’ s too fragmented and fractured , and that ’ s counterproductive , because the states are competing against the federal government for the same sources of materials.
” South Korea , the world ’ s shining success story against coronavirus , implemented an aggressive national program early to make sure that areas that needed tests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ll leave you with this , from a guy who pronounced the virus “ relatively contained ” on March 6 and now appears to agree with health experts that there ’ ll be no economic recovery until it ’ s really contained :

Is the problem that some states haven’t issued stay-at-home orders yet? Or is the problem people ignoring orders in states that have issued them? Good lord:
Open the image to see the caption. I am speechless. New York is in deep trouble…which means all of us are. pic.twitter.com/S99fr2KTHX — Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) April 3, 2020
Fauci was asked last night about a national shutdown order. Trump doesn’t have the authority to do that, as Fauci seems to realize, but of course governors in the holdout states could do it.
Dr. Anthony Fauci made it clear that he supports all Americans being under a stay-at-home order. "If you look at what's going on in this country, I just don't understand why we're not doing that. We really should be." #CNNTownHall https://t.co/3V3x0KimSj pic.twitter.com/MJsoDzSFOe — CNN (@CNN) April 3, 2020
The 12 states without the orders in place are enjoying freedom, sweet freedom, before their activity inevitably seeds their own local outbreaks:
“We’re doing what we would do for the flu, with older people sheltering in place and the rest of us taking the best care we can,” says Brian Joens, whose Iowa City eatery, Joensy’s, is doing a brisk take-out business of its fabled pork tenderloin. “But let’s be honest, what country do we live in?” says Joens. “It’s the USA, which is freedom, freedom to choose. When we get notes from the government saying do this or do that, it feels like that’s not what this country is built on. People should be smart, and you live with your choices.”… “I’m looking out the window of my dealership, and people are everywhere, it’s unbelievable,” says Chris Mayes, who owns Big Red Kia and Oklahoma Motorcars along the Mile of Cars commercial strip in Norman. “We’re not on lockdown here.”… “When I see images from other U.S. cities, where there’s just no one in the streets, very few cars out, that is the total opposite of what we’re seeing here,” he says, adding that he rarely strays from his showroom. “And I’m absolutely worried about it.”
On the one hand, people clearly are practicing social distancing in states like Iowa and Oklahoma despite the lack of stay-at-home orders. Check the Kinsa “health weather” map and you’ll find dramatic declines in fevers in both states. Exhortations from experts like Fauci and the spiraling death toll in New York are clearly having an effect on behavior across the country. On the other hand, a lesson from the data according to Kinsa itself is that formal orders by the state do measurably affect behavior. Notice the reversal of fortunes between Santa Clara, California and Miami-Dade, Florida in this graphic published by the Miami Herald:
Governors who’ve refused to issue orders thus far are looking at the limited *known* spread of the disease in their states and wagering that keeping their local economies going won’t result in a larger, less manageable outbreak for whatever reason. Maybe the virus will burn itself out before it reaches the heartland; maybe effective therapeutics will arrive before the virus does in full force. Maybe lower density in rural states will limit the contagion. That’s a high-risk wager. A different wager, which would be less explicable, is that they understand and accept that sustained economic activity now will mean a wider, deadlier outbreak when the virus finally descends on them. They’re under no illusions that they can dodge the pain. They’re just putting it off, knowing that doing so will allow it to spread further, because it’s important to keep people on the job to whatever degree they can.
I don’t know about that:
Meaning that tiptoeing around social distancing to save the economy will prob make it worse in the long run. We compared similar cities like St Paul and Mpls in 1918. St Paul took forever to impose social distancing measures and paid the price with more deaths and lower growth. pic.twitter.com/sheEKBjQ2n — Quoctrung Bui (@qdbui) April 3, 2020
The national strategy is to put out the fire everywhere all at once so that we don’t have new blazes breaking out in one region just as they’re being semi-extinguished elsewhere. If the northeast and west coast are getting through their first wave just as the first wave is raging in the heartland, heartlanders traveling around the country could seed new outbreaks. If we don’t have a national strategy, states will need to seriously consider interstate travel bans — assuming they’re even legal. The economic pain will last longer too: Doubtless the economies in states like Iowa and Oklahoma are suffering already due to the freefall elsewhere in the country. If they start getting hit by COVID-19 just as other regions are beginning to do business again, that’s another month or two of local recession while they strain to cope.
A piecemeal strategy is also leading to inefficient distribution of medical supplies, say experts:
“This is a problem that we should be dealing with over the entire nation,” said William Haseltine, a biologist famed for his work on HIV and AIDS. “This is a national problem — it needs a national response.”… “This is not a partisan issue,” said Kenneth Bernard, a retired Navy rear admiral and biosecurity expert who served in the administrations of Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. “There needs to be a central command presence on this. There needs to be a person who can act as a focal point for tests, personal protective equipment and countermeasures — acquisition and distribution. Right now, it’s too fragmented and fractured, and that’s counterproductive, because the states are competing against the federal government for the same sources of materials.”
South Korea, the world’s shining success story against coronavirus, implemented an aggressive national program early to make sure that areas that needed tests and equipment received them expeditiously.
I’ll leave you with this, from a guy who pronounced the virus “relatively contained” on March 6 and now appears to agree with health experts that there’ll be no economic recovery until it’s really contained:


hotair--2020-04-03--Biden: We should lift sanctions on Iran for humanitarian reasons -- even while they commit terrorism

As campaign slogans go , “ Let ’ s take it easy on the mullahs ” expired sometime in the fall of 1980 .
Perhaps Joe Biden didn ’ t get that memo .
In a statement critical of the Trump administration ’ s hard line on Iran , the presumptive Democratic nominee declared that the coronavirus pandemic requires the US to lift sanctions on Tehran for “ humanitarian purposes ” — even as the Iranians continue to hold Americans hostage .
Paging Jimmy Carter — Jimmy Carter to the red emergency phone , please : “ In times of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We should be the first to offer help to people who are hurting or in danger .
That ’ s who we are .
That ’ s who we ’ ve always been , ” the former veep said in a statement .
“ And , in the midst of this deadly pandemic that respects no borders , the United States should take steps to offer what relief we can to those nations hardest hit by this virus — including Iran — even as we prioritize the health of the American people.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mullahs had failed to effectively manage the crisis , and that Iran and its proxies were still spreading unrest and promoting violence in the region , but asserted the US should help anyway on humanitarian grounds .
“ The Iranian people are hurting desperately .
It makes no sense , in a global health crisis , to compound that failure with cruelty by inhibiting access to needed humanitarian assistance .
Whatever our profound differences with the Iranian government , we should support the Iranian people , ” he said .
The New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pompeo has already offered to ease some sanctions , but only after Iran releases all of the Americans it has in its prisons .
Thus far the Iranians refuse to release them at all , although it did allow one American detainee to go to the Swiss embassy for an independent medical evaluation .
That was supposed to be only a two-week furlough , however , not a release ; the Iranians expect Michael White to serve his full term for violating their version of lèse majeste .
Why would Biden lift sanctions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans it holds for hostaging purposes ?
Better yet , why would he lift sanctions against a regime whose proxies continue to target American military posts in Iraq ?
How “ humanitarian ” are those activities ?
And let ’ s not forget that this is the same regime which pocketed a billion euros in aid for themselves rather than share it with “ the Iranian people ” : Iranian regime officials stole more than $ 1 billion meant to help the country ’ s people fight the spread of coronavirus , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ European countries intended for more than $ 1 billion in aid to go to the Iranian people , who have been ravaged by the virus .
But American officials say regime leaders instead pocketed the money to protect themselves from the virus as it spreads throughout the population .
This includes hoarding medical supplies that were meant to aid Iranian citizens .
Hasn ’ t Biden helped shove enough cash into the mullah ’ s pockets over the years ?
Come on , man .
When Iran releases the Americans in its custody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some sanctions for COVID-19 relief .
Until then , let the mullahs open their own bank accounts and take care of their own people .

As campaign slogans go, “Let’s take it easy on the mullahs” expired sometime in the fall of 1980. Perhaps Joe Biden didn’t get that memo. In a statement critical of the Trump administration’s hard line on Iran, the presumptive Democratic nominee declared that the coronavirus pandemic requires the US to lift sanctions on Tehran for “humanitarian purposes” — even as the Iranians continue to hold Americans hostage.
Paging Jimmy Carter — Jimmy Carter to the red emergency phone, please:
“In times of global crisis, America should lead. We should be the first to offer help to people who are hurting or in danger. That’s who we are. That’s who we’ve always been,” the former veep said in a statement. “And, in the midst of this deadly pandemic that respects no borders, the United States should take steps to offer what relief we can to those nations hardest hit by this virus — including Iran — even as we prioritize the health of the American people.” … Biden acknowledged that Iran’s mullahs had failed to effectively manage the crisis, and that Iran and its proxies were still spreading unrest and promoting violence in the region, but asserted the US should help anyway on humanitarian grounds. “The Iranian people are hurting desperately. It makes no sense, in a global health crisis, to compound that failure with cruelty by inhibiting access to needed humanitarian assistance. Whatever our profound differences with the Iranian government, we should support the Iranian people,” he said.
The New York Post notes that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has already offered to ease some sanctions, but only after Iran releases all of the Americans it has in its prisons. Thus far the Iranians refuse to release them at all, although it did allow one American detainee to go to the Swiss embassy for an independent medical evaluation. That was supposed to be only a two-week furlough, however, not a release; the Iranians expect Michael White to serve his full term for violating their version of lèse majeste.
Why would Biden lift sanctions against a regime that refuses to release Americans it holds for hostaging purposes? Better yet, why would he lift sanctions against a regime whose proxies continue to target American military posts in Iraq? How “humanitarian” are those activities? And let’s not forget that this is the same regime which pocketed a billion euros in aid for themselves rather than share it with “the Iranian people”:
Iranian regime officials stole more than $1 billion meant to help the country’s people fight the spread of coronavirus, according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. European countries intended for more than $1 billion in aid to go to the Iranian people, who have been ravaged by the virus. But American officials say regime leaders instead pocketed the money to protect themselves from the virus as it spreads throughout the population. This includes hoarding medical supplies that were meant to aid Iranian citizens.
Hasn’t Biden helped shove enough cash into the mullah’s pockets over the years? Come on, man. When Iran releases the Americans in its custody, then we can talk about easing some sanctions for COVID-19 relief. Until then, let the mullahs open their own bank accounts and take care of their own people.


hotair--2020-04-03--ABC/Ipsos poll: Trump's coronavirus bump disappearing?

Or are we just returning to politics as usual ?
The ABC/Ipsos poll was among the first poll series to find an approval boost for Donald Trump in the midst of the coronavirus crisis .
Their latest survey , however , finds the rating for Trump ’ s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic underwater again — mainly because the non-Trump demos who boosted his approval rating two weeks ago have reverted back to their normal trends .
It hasn ’ t dropped back down to Trump ’ s initial rating for his handling of the coronavirus outbreak , but it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approval for his handling of the public health crisis is now falling closer to where it was three weeks ago , after a series of polls showed some Americans rallying behind the commander-in-chief – resulting in a slight bump in approval for his response .
But as the month of April begins , Trump ’ s approval for his management of the coronavirus is now under-water , 47-52 % .
Approval is down from 55 % in the poll released on March 20 , and closer to where it was in the March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % .
… Consistent with this , in the new ABC News/Ipsos poll , perceptions of Trump among ideologues also appear back closer to where it ’ s long been , with most reverting back to their partisan tribes .
Only 9 % of Democrats approve of the president ’ s handling of coronavirus , which is less than a third of the 30 % of Democrats who said the same in the poll two weeks ago .
Meanwhile , 91 % of Republicans approve now , which is on par with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still be an outlier , and since it ’ s a tracking poll of sorts , RealClearPolitics doesn ’ t use it for its aggregation .
At the moment , the RCP tracker on job approval specific to coronavirus is positive , 50/46.7 , with no other pollsters yet showing a negative result over the last two weeks .
Trump ’ s worst rating in the RCP aggregation on coronavirus is the 50/50 from Harvard-Harris , and that was a survey taken from March 24-26 , when Trump ’ s ratings were on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s current RCP average for overall approval is 47.4/50.3 , still among the best of his presidency . )
The demographic shift in this poll reminds us once again that Trump has hard floors and fairly hard ceilings on approval .
Most people have long since made up their minds about Trump , which means that the improvement in those demographics was always going to be difficult to sustain .
Democrats like Nancy Pelosi have become more outspoken in their criticism of Trump ’ s coronavirus handling again after being set back on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , reminding those voters whose side they ’ re on , politically speaking .
Some of this might also be a function of the dawning realization that this will be a long-haul crisis .
The same 89 % are concerned that they or someone they know will catch COVID-19 , but two weeks ago that split between 34 % being very concerned and 45 % being somewhat concerned .
In this iteration , 50 % are very concerned and 39 % are somewhat concerned .
Nine out of every ten Americans report that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that is an explosive situation for those in charge at the time .
The anger that generates can easily get directed right at them , rally effects be damned .
They also don ’ t have much hope that this will go back to normal soon , and certainly not on Trump ’ s schedule at the moment .
Only 13 % now think they can return to normal on May 1 , with another 31 % thinking that will come on June 1 .
Forty-one percent think it will take to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are not circumstances which lend themselves to enthusiastic support of the status quo , even if the extant crisis is producing a rally effect at the same time .
One can only “ rally ” for so long .
If Trump wants to sustain his approval ratings , at least on the coronavirus , he has to remember how he got there in the first place , as I wrote at The Week .
Petty food fights with Democrats will only hasten his erosion among the demos that gave him his boost : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump had only just started to change his public messaging on COVID-19 .
He had previously chosen to minimize the potential effects of the pandemic and his approval rating sagged even further than normal as a result .
The White House then shifted its messaging to focus on the crisis as a “ war , ” and Trump ( mostly ) dropped the minimizing rhetoric to speak in more stark terms about the virus .
To some extent , Trump ’ s polling surge is at least in part a rally effect .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and need leaders to react well .
However , actions taken by Trump shortly after his substantial pivot has contributed to that impulse and will matter to the endurance of his polling surge .
His leadership on the historic $ 2.2 trillion relief bill helped bridge a partisan divide when negotiations broke down between Mitch McConnell , Chuck Schumer , and Nancy Pelosi , perhaps mostly by signaling openness to their demands for transparency and accountability on corporate assistance .
Trump also made an effort to work with Democratic governors in California and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gavin Newsom and Andrew Cuomo offering praise for his efforts — at times , anyway .
To put it more directly , Trump had succeeded until this crisis by being the president of his base and keeping them energized .
This past month , Trump focused on coming across as everyone ’ s president , and got rewarded for it .
Sending snarky public letters to Chuck Schumer might be satisfying — heck , we know it is — but it ’ s not going to sustain the approval ratings he got by @ @ @ @ @ @

Or are we just returning to politics as usual? The ABC/Ipsos poll was among the first poll series to find an approval boost for Donald Trump in the midst of the coronavirus crisis. Their latest survey, however, finds the rating for Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic underwater again — mainly because the non-Trump demos who boosted his approval rating two weeks ago have reverted back to their normal trends.
It hasn’t dropped back down to Trump’s initial rating for his handling of the coronavirus outbreak, but it is back underwater:
Trump’s approval for his handling of the public health crisis is now falling closer to where it was three weeks ago, after a series of polls showed some Americans rallying behind the commander-in-chief – resulting in a slight bump in approval for his response. But as the month of April begins, Trump’s approval for his management of the coronavirus is now under-water, 47-52%. Approval is down from 55% in the poll released on March 20, and closer to where it was in the March 13 poll, when it was 43%. … Consistent with this, in the new ABC News/Ipsos poll, perceptions of Trump among ideologues also appear back closer to where it’s long been, with most reverting back to their partisan tribes. Only 9% of Democrats approve of the president’s handling of coronavirus, which is less than a third of the 30% of Democrats who said the same in the poll two weeks ago. Meanwhile, 91% of Republicans approve now, which is on par with the March 20 poll.
This trend might still be an outlier, and since it’s a tracking poll of sorts, RealClearPolitics doesn’t use it for its aggregation. At the moment, the RCP tracker on job approval specific to coronavirus is positive, 50/46.7, with no other pollsters yet showing a negative result over the last two weeks. Trump’s worst rating in the RCP aggregation on coronavirus is the 50/50 from Harvard-Harris, and that was a survey taken from March 24-26, when Trump’s ratings were on the way up. (Trump’s current RCP average for overall approval is 47.4/50.3, still among the best of his presidency.)
The demographic shift in this poll reminds us once again that Trump has hard floors and fairly hard ceilings on approval. Most people have long since made up their minds about Trump, which means that the improvement in those demographics was always going to be difficult to sustain. Democrats like Nancy Pelosi have become more outspoken in their criticism of Trump’s coronavirus handling again after being set back on their heels for a couple of weeks, reminding those voters whose side they’re on, politically speaking.
Some of this might also be a function of the dawning realization that this will be a long-haul crisis. The same 89% are concerned that they or someone they know will catch COVID-19, but two weeks ago that split between 34% being very concerned and 45% being somewhat concerned. In this iteration, 50% are very concerned and 39% are somewhat concerned. Nine out of every ten Americans report that their lives have been disrupted, and that is an explosive situation for those in charge at the time. The anger that generates can easily get directed right at them, rally effects be damned.
They also don’t have much hope that this will go back to normal soon, and certainly not on Trump’s schedule at the moment. Only 13% now think they can return to normal on May 1, with another 31% thinking that will come on June 1. Forty-one percent think it will take to the end of summer or longer. Those are not circumstances which lend themselves to enthusiastic support of the status quo, even if the extant crisis is producing a rally effect at the same time. One can only “rally” for so long.
If Trump wants to sustain his approval ratings, at least on the coronavirus, he has to remember how he got there in the first place, as I wrote at The Week. Petty food fights with Democrats will only hasten his erosion among the demos that gave him his boost:
At the time of the survey, Trump had only just started to change his public messaging on COVID-19. He had previously chosen to minimize the potential effects of the pandemic and his approval rating sagged even further than normal as a result. The White House then shifted its messaging to focus on the crisis as a “war,” and Trump (mostly) dropped the minimizing rhetoric to speak in more stark terms about the virus. To some extent, Trump’s polling surge is at least in part a rally effect. In a crisis, voters instinctively want and need leaders to react well. However, actions taken by Trump shortly after his substantial pivot has contributed to that impulse and will matter to the endurance of his polling surge. His leadership on the historic $2.2 trillion relief bill helped bridge a partisan divide when negotiations broke down between Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer, and Nancy Pelosi, perhaps mostly by signaling openness to their demands for transparency and accountability on corporate assistance. Trump also made an effort to work with Democratic governors in California and New York, with Democratic Govs. Gavin Newsom and Andrew Cuomo offering praise for his efforts — at times, anyway.
To put it more directly, Trump had succeeded until this crisis by being the president of his base and keeping them energized. This past month, Trump focused on coming across as everyone’s president, and got rewarded for it. Sending snarky public letters to Chuck Schumer might be satisfying — heck, we know it is — but it’s not going to sustain the approval ratings he got by rising above it in March.


hotair--2020-04-03---701,000: March jobs report craters, with worse to come

It turns out that the March employment surveys caught more of the economic meltdown than first thought .
Jobs plummeted by 701,000 last month and unemployment rose nearly a full point to 4.4 % , the largest month-on-month jump in 45 years .
And like a bad detective novel , we already know far worse will be on the way .
By the way , this snapshot in amber applies to the situation as of March 14th .
And we all know what happened after that , don ’ t we ?
Total nonfarm payroll employment fell by 701,000 in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 4.4 percent , the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today .
The changes in these measures reflect the effects of the coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) and efforts to contain it .
Employment in leisure and hospitality fell by 459,000 , mainly in food services and drinking places .
Notable declines also occurred in health care and social assistance , professional and business services , retail trade , and construction .
… In March , the unemployment rate increased by 0.9 percentage point to 4.4 percent .
This is the largest over-the-month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , when the increase was also 0.9 percentage point .
The number of unemployed persons rose by 1.4 million to 7.1 million in March .
The sharp increases in these measures reflect the effects of the coronavirus and efforts to contain it .
( See table A-1 .
Measures from the household survey pertain to the week of March 8th to March 14th .
For more information about how the household survey and its measures were affected by the coronavirus , see the box note on page 5 . )
Keep in mind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Labor Statistics conducts two large-scale polls — the Household Survey of workers , and the Establishment Survey of businesses .
The latter is the trickier in this context because of how BLS defines employment at a company .
Anyone who got paid by the 12th of the month is considered employed in the Establishment Survey , even if they stopped working after that .
Most of the meltdown ( although clearly not all of it ) took place after March 12th .
The note on Page 5 has another interesting point , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surveys was disrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak , which means the data is somewhat less reliable than usual this month : Data collection for both surveys was affected by the coronavirus .
The household survey is generally collected through in-person and telephone interviews , but personal interviews were suspended during the collection period for the safety of interviewers and respondents .
The household survey response rate , at 73 percent , was about 10 percentage points lower than in recent months .
In the establishment survey , about one-fifth of the data is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data collection centers .
Although these centers were closed during the collection period , efforts were made to collect data electronically .
The collection rate for the establishment survey , at 66 percent , was about 9 percentage points lower than average .
That situation won ’ t change much in the next couple of months , either .
At a point in time where we need even more granular clarity on joblessness , we ’ re not going to get much of it .
The overall jobs numbers come from the Establishment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a much larger figure on joblessness .
The Household data shows a drop of 1.633 million in the civilian labor force , with a loss of 2.987 million jobs .
That ’ s almost evenly split between the newly unemployed and those who have already stopped looking for other work , give or take a couple of hundred thousand workers .
Those numbers — and more — will get reflected in April ’ s jobs report , about which more in a moment .
Most of the Establishment job losses come out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 29,000 jobs , and that might only be temporary as production lines shift to badly needed medical-supply products .
Leisure and hospitality took the brunt of the meltdown , losing 459K of the 659K overall lost in the service sector , but even health care and social assistance lost 61,200 jobs by mid-March .
The survey pattern matters for another reason , too .
Today the Treasury will launch the first of its loan programs through the Small Business Administration , the Paycheck Protection Program ( about which more later this morning ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers .
That has to work quickly to dent the massive job losses that will otherwise get reported for April — say , by April 12 or so .
The Establishment Survey won ’ t pick up anyone who reported back to work after its deadline , even if the numbers in the Household Survey might .
We may not see any glimmer of optimism from jobs numbers until the first Friday in June , when the May jobs report comes out and hopefully reflects a shift toward jobs recovery .
Of course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that in the weekly jobless claims number .
The faster these programs work , the less inclined employers will be to shed workers , but … .
it might be a little too late to get these workers back on the job .
Addendum : One final note of optimism — this is a result of a deliberate shuttering of a strong economy .
This is not a structural failure , as in 2008-9 , which means that we have more hope of a quick bounceback when things return to normal .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ though , the more damage that will be done and will be tougher to overcome .

It turns out that the March employment surveys caught more of the economic meltdown than first thought. Jobs plummeted by 701,000 last month and unemployment rose nearly a full point to 4.4%, the largest month-on-month jump in 45 years. And like a bad detective novel, we already know far worse will be on the way.
By the way, this snapshot in amber applies to the situation as of March 14th. And we all know what happened after that, don’t we?
Total nonfarm payroll employment fell by 701,000 in March, and the unemployment rate rose to 4.4 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The changes in these measures reflect the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and efforts to contain it. Employment in leisure and hospitality fell by 459,000, mainly in food services and drinking places. Notable declines also occurred in health care and social assistance, professional and business services, retail trade, and construction. … In March, the unemployment rate increased by 0.9 percentage point to 4.4 percent. This is the largest over-the-month increase in the rate since January 1975, when the increase was also 0.9 percentage point.
The number of unemployed persons rose by 1.4 million to 7.1 million in March. The sharp increases in these measures reflect the effects of the coronavirus and efforts to contain it. (See table A-1. Measures
from the household survey pertain to the week of March 8th to March 14th. For more information about how the household survey and its measures were affected by the coronavirus, see the box note on page
5.)
Keep in mind how jobs reports work. The Bureau of Labor Statistics conducts two large-scale polls — the Household Survey of workers, and the Establishment Survey of businesses. The latter is the trickier in this context because of how BLS defines employment at a company. Anyone who got paid by the 12th of the month is considered employed in the Establishment Survey, even if they stopped working after that. Most of the meltdown (although clearly not all of it) took place after March 12th.
The note on Page 5 has another interesting point, too. The data collection of these surveys was disrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak, which means the data is somewhat less reliable than usual this month:
Data collection for both surveys was affected by the coronavirus. The household survey is generally collected through in-person and telephone interviews, but personal interviews were suspended during the collection period for the safety of interviewers and respondents. The household survey response rate, at 73 percent, was about 10 percentage points lower than in recent months. In the establishment survey, about one-fifth of the data is generally collected by telephone at four regional data collection centers. Although these centers were closed during the collection period, efforts were made to collect data electronically. The collection rate for the establishment survey, at 66 percent, was about 9 percentage points lower than average.
That situation won’t change much in the next couple of months, either. At a point in time where we need even more granular clarity on joblessness, we’re not going to get much of it.
The overall jobs numbers come from the Establishment Survey, but the Household data has a much larger figure on joblessness. The Household data shows a drop of 1.633 million in the civilian labor force, with a loss of 2.987 million jobs. That’s almost evenly split between the newly unemployed and those who have already stopped looking for other work, give or take a couple of hundred thousand workers. Those numbers — and more — will get reflected in April’s jobs report, about which more in a moment.
Most of the Establishment job losses come out of the service industry. Manufacturing only lost 29,000 jobs, and that might only be temporary as production lines shift to badly needed medical-supply products. Leisure and hospitality took the brunt of the meltdown, losing 459K of the 659K overall lost in the service sector, but even health care and social assistance lost 61,200 jobs by mid-March.
The survey pattern matters for another reason, too. Today the Treasury will launch the first of its loan programs through the Small Business Administration, the Paycheck Protection Program (about which more later this morning), to keep businesses from laying off workers. That has to work quickly to dent the massive job losses that will otherwise get reported for April — say, by April 12 or so. The Establishment Survey won’t pick up anyone who reported back to work after its deadline, even if the numbers in the Household Survey might. We may not see any glimmer of optimism from jobs numbers until the first Friday in June, when the May jobs report comes out and hopefully reflects a shift toward jobs recovery.
Of course, we may see some progress before that in the weekly jobless claims number. The faster these programs work, the less inclined employers will be to shed workers, but …. it might be a little too late to get these workers back on the job.
Addendum: One final note of optimism — this is a result of a deliberate shuttering of a strong economy. This is not a structural failure, as in 2008-9, which means that we have more hope of a quick bounceback when things return to normal. The longer it takes to get there, though, the more damage that will be done and will be tougher to overcome.


hotair--2020-04-03--More plastic bag bans being completely reversed

Back in 2007 , San Francisco became the first major city in the nation to ban the use of plastic bags .
This form of environmental extremism was widely applauded by our betters in the woke community .
After London Breed took over as interim mayor in 2017 , she proceeded to double down on the policy , jacking up the prices that stores would need to charge customers who didn ’ t bring their own reusable bags into stores .
But now , faced with the realities of the coronavirus , the city ’ s leaders have realized that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the realities of the world we live in today .
As such , the ban has been not only lifted but reversed .
Reusable bags are now banned in the City by the Bay .
( The Hill ) San Francisco is banning reusable shopping bags to prevent outside germs from entering grocery stores as the coronavirus pandemic affects cities around the country , The new ordinance from the San Francisco Department of Public Health aims to reinforce existing social distancing protocols by restricting customers from bringing their own bags , mugs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stores , according to a statement .
San Francisco was one of the first cities in the U.S. to ban the use of plastic shopping bags in 2007 to reduce the environmental impact caused by plastic waste , according to SFGate.com .
San Francisco isn ’ t the first place to do this .
As we previously discussed , Maine , New York and Massachusetts have all either suspended their plastic bag bans or halted enforcement of the regulations .
Not that I expect anyone on the left to take any lasting lessons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s worth noting the downstream effects of this sort of micromanagement of how citizens conduct their private affairs .
It ’ s been 13 years since the ban went into place .
In that time , stores have stopped buying so many disposable bags of all types .
They don ’ t stockpile them anymore because people aren ’ t supposed to be using them .
Now the policy has been reversed overnight and shoppers can ’ t bring their reusable bags to the stores .
It ’ s not at all unlikely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disposable bags in short order and it will take time to restock .
So people looking to go out and purchase whatever food remains on the shelves may find themselves with no options for carrying their groceries to their environmentally-friendly electric cars .
This was a case of one overreaction being followed more than a dozen years later by another one .
Did it have to be this way ?
The cloth shopping bags that we ’ ve been using are washable .
And it ’ s already been established that the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of soap and hot water .
Couldn ’ t the municipal government simply advise people to wash their bags after each trip to the market ?
Or are we not mature enough to take even those types of basic precautions ?
Remember , people… when plastic bags are outlawed , only outlaws will have plastic bags .
And San Francisco is in the process of generating an entire generation of outlaws .

Back in 2007, San Francisco became the first major city in the nation to ban the use of plastic bags. This form of environmental extremism was widely applauded by our betters in the woke community. After London Breed took over as interim mayor in 2017, she proceeded to double down on the policy, jacking up the prices that stores would need to charge customers who didn’t bring their own reusable bags into stores. But now, faced with the realities of the coronavirus, the city’s leaders have realized that excessive environmentalism isn’t always compatible with the realities of the world we live in today. As such, the ban has been not only lifted but reversed. Reusable bags are now banned in the City by the Bay. (The Hill)
San Francisco is banning reusable shopping bags to prevent outside germs from entering grocery stores as the coronavirus pandemic affects cities around the country, The new ordinance from the San Francisco Department of Public Health aims to reinforce existing social distancing protocols by restricting customers from bringing their own bags, mugs, or other reusable items to essential stores, according to a statement. San Francisco was one of the first cities in the U.S. to ban the use of plastic shopping bags in 2007 to reduce the environmental impact caused by plastic waste, according to SFGate.com.
San Francisco isn’t the first place to do this. As we previously discussed, Maine, New York and Massachusetts have all either suspended their plastic bag bans or halted enforcement of the regulations.
Not that I expect anyone on the left to take any lasting lessons from this experience, but it’s worth noting the downstream effects of this sort of micromanagement of how citizens conduct their private affairs. It’s been 13 years since the ban went into place. In that time, stores have stopped buying so many disposable bags of all types. They don’t stockpile them anymore because people aren’t supposed to be using them.
Now the policy has been reversed overnight and shoppers can’t bring their reusable bags to the stores. It’s not at all unlikely that stores will be running out of disposable bags in short order and it will take time to restock. So people looking to go out and purchase whatever food remains on the shelves may find themselves with no options for carrying their groceries to their environmentally-friendly electric cars.
This was a case of one overreaction being followed more than a dozen years later by another one. Did it have to be this way? The cloth shopping bags that we’ve been using are washable. And it’s already been established that the coronavirus is very susceptible to a simple application of soap and hot water. Couldn’t the municipal government simply advise people to wash their bags after each trip to the market? Or are we not mature enough to take even those types of basic precautions?
Remember, people… when plastic bags are outlawed, only outlaws will have plastic bags. And San Francisco is in the process of generating an entire generation of outlaws.


hotair--2020-04-03--No bueno: Corona beer production temporarily stops in Mexico

Mexico ’ s Grupo Modelo will temporarily suspend operations on brewing Corona beer and other brands exported to 180 countries on Sunday .
This decision comes on the heels of the Mexican government declaring its business as “ non-essential ” in the fight against the coronavirus .
The company planned for this and was already in the process of slowing production in case the government decided to make that determination .
The Mexican government declared a national health emergency as the cases of the coronavirus begins to add up .
By Thursday , 1,510 cases and 50 deaths had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company is Anheuser-Busch InBev and operates eleven breweries in Mexico .
The company is moving forward with plans to be able to resume operations as soon as the suspension ends .
Only key businesses related to agriculture or food production can operate for the time being .
A tweet with the company ’ s statement translates into “ Grupo Modelo abides by measures issued by the Federal Government to deal with SARS-CoV2.
” Grupo Modelo has donated 300,000 bottles of hand sanitizer so far .
Further announcements of other actions by Grupo Modelo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everyone must be “ fighting this fight ” has sunk in .
As with other economies throughout the world , this suspension of production will come with economic and personal costs — 15,000 families and 800,000 grocers rely on beer production and beer sales for at least some of their income .
That is why the company is doing all it can to be able to bring production back online as soon as possible .
Grupo Modelo also produces Pacifica and Modelo beer .
Mexico is slow to play catch-up with other countries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Last week the country ’ s government ordered schools and most government offices closed .
On Tuesday all “ non-essential ” activities and businesses were ordered to shut down , as well as prohibiting gatherings of more than 100 people .
The problem with that is that the order , which stays in effect until the end of April , is mostly voluntary and there are no enforcement mechanisms or penalties in place .
And 100 people is too big of a group .
As this piece in The Federalist points out , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , too late .
Mexican officials ignored warnings about the spread of the coronavirus and its consequences .
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador repeatedly dismissed the need for caution , urging Mexicans to go shopping and eat out .
He even took his own advice , staging large campaign-style rallies , kissing babies , embracing supporters , and saying things like , “ You have to hug , nothing is going to happen.
” Well , now something is happening .
On Monday , Mexico declared a state of emergency as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with at least 28 deaths and counting .
The number of actual cases is no doubt far higher ( by Tuesday , the total was more than 1,200 ) but because Mexico has not scaled up testing like other countries have , and appears to have little capacity to do so , we don ’ t really know the extent of the outbreak .
Experts estimate only about 10,000 people have been tested so far nationwide—one of the lowest testing rates in the world .
As happens elsewhere , the wealthier residents of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place easier than those who depend on daily wages to survive .
If government guidelines or orders are only assumed to be voluntary measures , why would those who must work every day to survive now stop doing so ?
President López Obrador spent weeks denying the effects of the pandemic , going so far as to declare it is “ not going to do anything to us.
” Mexico has a population of 130 million people .
It is ill-equipped to battle a widespread pandemic .
Limited commerce and traffic continue across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump imposed a partial closure of the border on March 17 on all non-essential travel , we all know the border remains porous .
Travel restrictions help but have not stopped crossings .
Last month more than 30,000 people were apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection .
Air travel continues between the United States and Mexico and locations like Cabo San Lucas remain popular .
Just look at the story about the 70 UT idiot students and their idiot parents who provided transportation and financed the spring break trip for them .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and who knows how many people now have the coronavirus thanks to their selfish behavior ?
That happened less than two weeks ago .
So , now we wait and watch as the coronavirus spreads throughout Mexico .
Let ’ s hope the Mexican government gets serious and does what needs to be done , albeit belatedly .

Mexico’s Grupo Modelo will temporarily suspend operations on brewing Corona beer and other brands exported to 180 countries on Sunday. This decision comes on the heels of the Mexican government declaring its business as “non-essential” in the fight against the coronavirus.
The company planned for this and was already in the process of slowing production in case the government decided to make that determination. The Mexican government declared a national health emergency as the cases of the coronavirus begins to add up. By Thursday, 1,510 cases and 50 deaths had been reported.
Grupo Modelo’s parent company is Anheuser-Busch InBev and operates eleven breweries in Mexico. The company is moving forward with plans to be able to resume operations as soon as the suspension ends. Only key businesses related to agriculture or food production can operate for the time being.
“If the federal government considers it appropriate to issue some clarification confirming beer as an agro-industrial product, at Grupo Modelo we are ready to execute a plan with more than 75% of our staff working from home and at the same time guaranteeing the supply of beer,” the statement said.
A tweet with the company’s statement translates into “Grupo Modelo abides by measures issued by the Federal Government to deal with SARS-CoV2.”
Grupo Modelo acata medidas dictadas por el Gobierno Federal para hacer frente al SARS-CoV2. pic.twitter.com/MXthEGnl5Q — Grupo Modelo MX (@GrupoModelo_MX) April 3, 2020
Grupo Modelo has donated 300,000 bottles of hand sanitizer so far. Further announcements of other actions by Grupo Modelo will be forthcoming. The realization that everyone must be “fighting this fight” has sunk in.
In order to prevent the spread and spread of the COVID-19 virus, Grupo Modelo began delivering 300,000 bottles of 300-milliliter alcohol-gel to be distributed in Family Medical Units and Hospitals, through the Representative Offices of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) throughout the country. The reception of the first shipment with 18,720 bottles of antibacterial gel was led by the Sanitary Manager at the IMSS Central Warehouse, Química Elsa Austria Mireles, and the Grupo Modelo Legal and Corporate Affairs Vice President, Raúl Escalante.
As with other economies throughout the world, this suspension of production will come with economic and personal costs — 15,000 families and 800,000 grocers rely on beer production and beer sales for at least some of their income. That is why the company is doing all it can to be able to bring production back online as soon as possible. Grupo Modelo also produces Pacifica and Modelo beer.
Mexico is slow to play catch-up with other countries in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Last week the country’s government ordered schools and most government offices closed. On Tuesday all “non-essential” activities and businesses were ordered to shut down, as well as prohibiting gatherings of more than 100 people. The problem with that is that the order, which stays in effect until the end of April, is mostly voluntary and there are no enforcement mechanisms or penalties in place. And 100 people is too big of a group.
As this piece in The Federalist points out, all this now is likely too little, too late. Mexican officials ignored warnings about the spread of the coronavirus and its consequences.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador repeatedly dismissed the need for caution, urging Mexicans to go shopping and eat out. He even took his own advice, staging large campaign-style rallies, kissing babies, embracing supporters, and saying things like, “You have to hug, nothing is going to happen.” Well, now something is happening. On Monday, Mexico declared a state of emergency as the number of confirmed cases exceeded 1,000, with at least 28 deaths and counting. The number of actual cases is no doubt far higher (by Tuesday, the total was more than 1,200) but because Mexico has not scaled up testing like other countries have, and appears to have little capacity to do so, we don’t really know the extent of the outbreak. Experts estimate only about 10,000 people have been tested so far nationwide—one of the lowest testing rates in the world.
As happens elsewhere, the wealthier residents of Mexico can stay home and shelter in place easier than those who depend on daily wages to survive. If government guidelines or orders are only assumed to be voluntary measures, why would those who must work every day to survive now stop doing so?
Government officials have been pleading with the public to stay indoors, with mixed results. In Mexico City, a metropolis of some 20 million people, the shutdown is being observed inconsistently. Wealthier neighborhoods, whose residents can afford to stay home, have gone mostly quiet in recent days, while poorer neighborhoods and markets largely have carried on with business as usual.
President López Obrador spent weeks denying the effects of the pandemic, going so far as to declare it is “not going to do anything to us.” Mexico has a population of 130 million people. It is ill-equipped to battle a widespread pandemic.
The Mexican govt declared a #coronavirus emergency on Monday when the # of cases exceeded 1K. Here are the official numbers for supplies on hand as of March 25: -356 ICU units
-49,083 hospitals beds
-2,446 intensive care beds
-5,523 ventilators This is for the entire country. pic.twitter.com/jnyfi9ySOW — John Daniel Davidson (@johnddavidson) April 1, 2020
Limited commerce and traffic continue across the U.S.- Mexican border. Though President Trump imposed a partial closure of the border on March 17 on all non-essential travel, we all know the border remains porous. Travel restrictions help but have not stopped crossings. Last month more than 30,000 people were apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Air travel continues between the United States and Mexico and locations like Cabo San Lucas remain popular. Just look at the story about the 70 UT idiot students and their idiot parents who provided transportation and financed the spring break trip for them. Now they are 28 quarantined in Austin and who knows how many people now have the coronavirus thanks to their selfish behavior? That happened less than two weeks ago.
So, now we wait and watch as the coronavirus spreads throughout Mexico. Let’s hope the Mexican government gets serious and does what needs to be done, albeit belatedly.