hotair--2020-03-23--Sen. Collins blasts Democrats over delay: 'This is unbelievable' <span class='red'>(Update: NY Times

Sen. Collins blasts Democrats over delay: 'This is unbelievable' (Update: NY Times to the rescue)

The unexpected negative press must be getting to Democrats .
As Ed pointed out both last night and this morning , Democrats are suddenly finding themselves on the defensive from a media that is usually eager to spin things their way .
This morning that apparently led to another own goal when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer objected to allowing Sen. Susan Collins to speak .
PBS reporter Lisa Desjardins says she has never seen this happen before and describes the angry confrontation on the floor : Here ’ s a slightly more detailed version .
In the clip below @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to speak and Sen. Schumer ’ s objection .
She says , “ This is unbelievable ” but then it seems some of the microphones are cut off .
I think I hear Collins saying “ This is appaling , ” but it ’ s hard to make out .
The Hill describes what happened next : Sen. Bill Cassidy ( R-La . )
then tried to speak , but Schumer similarly objected .
The tactics sparked vocal pushback from Republican senators who were on be floor .
Sen. Tom Cotton ( R-Ark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the front of the chamber , could be overheard calling the maneuvers “ bullshit.
” Schumer then tried to consent to speak , and Sen. Jim Risch ( R-Idaho ) , who was in his seat at the back of the chamber , yelled that he also objected .
When Schumer tried to argue that he still has control of the floor , Sen. Ben Sasse ( R-Neb . )
, who was presiding over the floor drama , replied : “ No , you do not.
” You may have to turn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the off-mic comments .
Eventually , Sen. Collins did get her chance to speak and she used the opportunity to bash Democrats for delaying the bill over a wish list of progressive priorities .
Collins said she had never seen Democrats and Republicans fail to come together in a crisis but then tore into Sen. Schumer .
“ Unbelievably , the Democratic leader objected to my even being able to speak this morning .
Is that what we ’ ve come to ?
” she said .
She concluded by saying of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disgraceful .
We do not have time .
Time is not on our side .
Let ’ s get the job done for the American people.
” Just last night , Sen. Schumer told CNN , “ to my delight and surprise there has been a great deal of bipartisan cooperation.
” What happened to this guy ?
Democrats may have created a real problem for themselves .
The talking point already being widely used by the left online is that the Senate bill is a “ slush fund ” and a corporate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has already been poisoned .
Can Democrats retreat and vote for this bill now ?
At a minimum they are going to need some face saving changes to claim this delay was worthwhile or risk really irritating their own base .
But further delay could be costly if the media continues to hold Democrats responsible .
Master legislator Nancy Pelosi may have overreached here and Schumer , by going along with it , is taking a big risk with the biggest issue Dems are facing in an election year .
But never discount @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bad behavior by Democrats into a story about Republicans seizing on their self-inflicted misfortune .
Update : The NY Times is racing to save Democrats from themselves with an editorial blaming Mitch McConnell for everything .
This is what they do .
No only was this predictable , it was actually predicted .

The unexpected negative press must be getting to Democrats. As Ed pointed out both last night and this morning, Democrats are suddenly finding themselves on the defensive from a media that is usually eager to spin things their way. This morning that apparently led to another own goal when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer objected to allowing Sen. Susan Collins to speak.
Tension between McConnell and Schumer is intense. Schumer blocked the consent required to allow Sen. Collins to speak. https://t.co/1UBlTYFCuC — Jennifer Haberkorn (@jenhab) March 23, 2020
PBS reporter Lisa Desjardins says she has never seen this happen before and describes the angry confrontation on the floor:
Senate chamber boils over. – Sen. Collins asked to speak, Schumer objected.
– Sen. Cotton shouted, "C'mon", "This is bullshit!"
– Collins walked thru her row to Schumer – stood a foot or so away, finger pointed, exclaimed, "you are objecting to my speaking? This is appalling!" — Lisa Desjardins (@LisaDNews) March 23, 2020
3/ – Sen. Cotton, standing near the well, presses the point and in an oddly "I am Spartacus!" moment, asks to speak himself.
– Schumer: objection.
– Sen. Cassidy is now Spartacus, asks to speak.
– Schumer: objection. — Lisa Desjardins (@LisaDNews) March 23, 2020
Here’s a slightly more detailed version. In the clip below you’ll hear Sen. Collins ask to speak and Sen. Schumer’s objection. She says, “This is unbelievable” but then it seems some of the microphones are cut off. I think I hear Collins saying “This is appaling,” but it’s hard to make out. The Hill describes what happened next:
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) then tried to speak, but Schumer similarly objected. The tactics sparked vocal pushback from Republican senators who were on be floor. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who was standing at the front of the chamber, could be overheard calling the maneuvers “bullshit.” Schumer then tried to consent to speak, and Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), who was in his seat at the back of the chamber, yelled that he also objected. When Schumer tried to argue that he still has control of the floor, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), who was presiding over the floor drama, replied: “No, you do not.”
You may have to turn the volume up to here some of the off-mic comments.
.@SenatorCollins: "I ask unanimous consent that proceedings under the quorum be dispensed with." Sen. Sasse (presiding): "Is there objection?"@SenSchumer: "I object." @senatemajldr: "Oh, come on." Collins: "This is unbelievable." pic.twitter.com/Bg3pBv09Ch — CSPAN (@cspan) March 23, 2020
Eventually, Sen. Collins did get her chance to speak and she used the opportunity to bash Democrats for delaying the bill over a wish list of progressive priorities. Collins said she had never seen Democrats and Republicans fail to come together in a crisis but then tore into Sen. Schumer. “Unbelievably, the Democratic leader objected to my even being able to speak this morning. Is that what we’ve come to?” she said. She concluded by saying of the Democratic delaying tactics, “This is disgraceful. We do not have time. Time is not on our side. Let’s get the job done for the American people.”
We are in the midst of a crisis in our country caused by the coronavirus. When it comes to Americans’ health and saving Americans’ jobs and our small businesses, we don't have another day. We don't have another hour. We don't have another minute to delay acting. pic.twitter.com/xbeagCoLvQ — Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) March 23, 2020
Just last night, Sen. Schumer told CNN, “to my delight and surprise there has been a great deal of bipartisan cooperation.” What happened to this guy?
Democrats may have created a real problem for themselves. The talking point already being widely used by the left online is that the Senate bill is a “slush fund” and a corporate bailout. In short, the well has already been poisoned. Can Democrats retreat and vote for this bill now? At a minimum they are going to need some face saving changes to claim this delay was worthwhile or risk really irritating their own base. But further delay could be costly if the media continues to hold Democrats responsible.
Master legislator Nancy Pelosi may have overreached here and Schumer, by going along with it, is taking a big risk with the biggest issue Dems are facing in an election year. But never discount the ability of the media to turn bad behavior by Democrats into a story about Republicans seizing on their self-inflicted misfortune.
Update: The NY Times is racing to save Democrats from themselves with an editorial blaming Mitch McConnell for everything. This is what they do. No only was this predictable, it was actually predicted.


hotair--2020-03-24--Gov. Cuomo: 'We haven't flattened the curve and the curve is actually increasing'

Gov .
Andrew Cuomo gave an update on the state of the coronavirus in New York earlier today and to say his tone was dire would be underselling it a bit .
Cuomo said forecasters had previously told him the virus was coming at the country like a freight train , now they are telling him it ’ s a bullet train with New York as the first stop : “ The rate of new infections is doubling about every three days , ” Cuomo said .
He added , “ We ’ re not slowing it and it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the forecaster said to me we were looking at a freight train coming across the country .
We ’ re now looking at a bullet train , because the numbers are going up that quickly , ” he said .
Cuomo then explained that the real concern is the moment when the numbers reach their peak , or apex .
He had previously said the apex would require hospital beds for 110,000 people .
Today he said new modeling suggests that estimate was low .
“ The new projection suggests that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as high as 140,000 .
So , flatten the curve , flatten the curve .
We haven ’ t flattened the curve and the curve is actually increasing.
” The result is that New York is , according to this projection , about 90,000 hospital beds short .
Even worse , the state has only about 3,000 ICU beds and may need as many as 40,000 .
This apex was initially projected to hit sometime in May but the new data suggests it could be as little as 2-3 weeks away .
Cuomo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shut down businesses and increased testing to the highest per capita rate in the world , there is nothing left for the government to do to try to slow down the spread of the virus .
The state is testing possible drug remedies and therapies like the one Jazz wrote about earlier but there ’ s no guarantee any of those efforts will provide a solution in the next two weeks .
Cuomo summed up that portion of his press conference saying , “ The inescapable conclusion is that the rate of infection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The apex is higher than we thought and the apex is sooner than we thought .
That is a bad combination of facts.
” The remainder of the statement was about how New York was trying to get ready for the bullet train by increasing the number of beds , staff , and equipment .
Cuomo said there was a lot of work left to be done on these fronts but suggested the limiting factor would be ventilators .
He said everyone in the world is trying to get these and New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They have 7,000 on hand but he said the state needs 30,000 to deal with the apex .
Cuomo pleaded with HHS Sec .
Azar to release a federal stockpile of 20,000 ventilators to New York arguing that the situation in the state is far more severe than anywhere else in the country .
Here ’ s the slide he used to make that argument : Cuomo went on to say that once New York had passed its apex , the ventilators could be redeployed to other areas that need them .
All @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conference .
If the estimates Cuomo is getting from his forecasters are correct then we ’ re looking at a potential disaster that , as of now , will overwhelm the system in a matter of weeks .
Here ’ s the full press conference :

Gov. Andrew Cuomo gave an update on the state of the coronavirus in New York earlier today and to say his tone was dire would be underselling it a bit. Cuomo said forecasters had previously told him the virus was coming at the country like a freight train, now they are telling him it’s a bullet train with New York as the first stop:
“The rate of new infections is doubling about every three days,” Cuomo said. He added, “We’re not slowing it and it is accelerating on its own.”
“One of the forecaster said to me we were looking at a freight train coming across the country. We’re now looking at a bullet train, because the numbers are going up that quickly,” he said.
Cuomo then explained that the real concern is the moment when the numbers reach their peak, or apex. He had previously said the apex would require hospital beds for 110,000 people. Today he said new modeling suggests that estimate was low. “The new projection suggests that the number of hospital beds needed could be as high as 140,000. So, flatten the curve, flatten the curve. We haven’t flattened the curve and the curve is actually increasing.” The result is that New York is, according to this projection, about 90,000 hospital beds short. Even worse, the state has only about 3,000 ICU beds and may need as many as 40,000.
This apex was initially projected to hit sometime in May but the new data suggests it could be as little as 2-3 weeks away. Cuomo said that with the state having already shut down businesses and increased testing to the highest per capita rate in the world, there is nothing left for the government to do to try to slow down the spread of the virus. The state is testing possible drug remedies and therapies like the one Jazz wrote about earlier but there’s no guarantee any of those efforts will provide a solution in the next two weeks.
Cuomo summed up that portion of his press conference saying, “The inescapable conclusion is that the rate of infection is going up, it is spiking. The apex is higher than we thought and the apex is sooner than we thought. That is a bad combination of facts.”
The remainder of the statement was about how New York was trying to get ready for the bullet train by increasing the number of beds, staff, and equipment. Cuomo said there was a lot of work left to be done on these fronts but suggested the limiting factor would be ventilators. He said everyone in the world is trying to get these and New York cannot get any more. They have 7,000 on hand but he said the state needs 30,000 to deal with the apex. Cuomo pleaded with HHS Sec. Azar to release a federal stockpile of 20,000 ventilators to New York arguing that the situation in the state is far more severe than anywhere else in the country. Here’s the slide he used to make that argument:
Cuomo went on to say that once New York had passed its apex, the ventilators could be redeployed to other areas that need them.
All in all, a very sobering press conference. If the estimates Cuomo is getting from his forecasters are correct then we’re looking at a potential disaster that, as of now, will overwhelm the system in a matter of weeks. Here’s the full press conference:


hotair--2020-03-24--Pennsylvania supreme court approves mandatory closure of all gun stores in state

If you live in Pennsylvania and are worried about Captain Trips , er… I mean the coronavirus leading to hoards of looters heading for your homes , I hope you stocked up on ammunition and purchased all the firearms you expect to need in advance .
Governor Tom Wolf recently imposed his own version of a stay at home , shelter in place order and it included the mandatory closure of nonessential businesses .
And he specifically determined that gun stores are “ nonessential ” during these trying times .
The decision was challenged in court , but now the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that mandatory closure order can go forward .
( Free Beacon ) The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Sunday night denied an emergency request that would have blocked a gubernatorial order mandating the closure of gun retailers in response to the novel coronavirus .
The order to shut down gun stores was part of a larger plan set forth by the state ’ s Democratic governor , Tom Wolf , mandating the closure of businesses not deemed “ life-sustaining.
” Gun-rights advocates asked the state ’ s Supreme Court to block the order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but the seven-member court denied the request .
The court ’ s decision comes as Pennsylvanians and Americans more broadly have flooded gun stores .
Industry officials said sales had spiked as much as 300 percent last week due to concerns of relaxed law enforcement during the outbreak and some retailers even reported running out of stock—at least temporarily .
While the first states to implement aggressive shutdown measures have split on whether they would include gun stores , the country ’ s top gun-rights groups have threatened more legal action .
With @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all manner of “ nonessential ” businesses , this is starting to sound like a case where an immediate appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States might be in order .
The reason I say this is that we have different courts ruling in opposite directions on the subject .
New Jersey and now Pennsylvania have closed their gun shops while Illinois declared them essential services and allowed them to remain open .
New York ’ s gun stores are also closed .
As the coronavirus spreads into more red states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more exceptions being made .
This is a complicated question because it entails issues on a couple of different levels .
First of all , what criteria are involved in determining if a particular type of store is essential ?
In New York , for example , liquor stores are still open because they are essential services , but the gun shops are closed .
( Wolf is at least consistent in that regard because he also closed the state liquor stores . )
I would have imagined that retaining the ability to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home would be considered not only essential but vital when facing the possibility of widespread unrest .
Beyond that , there ’ s a pretty big difference between booze , which you do not have a constitutional right to ( though you should ! )
and firearms , which are protected for law-abiding citizens under the Second Amendment .
The court split 4-3 on this question and in the dissent , one of the justices described the order to close the gun shops as an “ impermissible intrusion upon a fundamental constitutional right.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the situation would change even on appeal , however .
As I ’ ve noted here before , the sweeping powers granted to the executive branch at every level during a declared state of emergency are troubling at a minimum .
But the courts have historically backed them up .
It ’ s conceivable that even our more conservative SCOTUS of 2020 might go along with Wolf here , making the situation all the more depressing .
If this is nothing more than a question of keeping people safe from any possible transmission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worked those issues out already for other types of stores .
The same could easily be done for gun shops .
Of course , we might be dealing with politics more than public safety .
Wolf is a Democrat and he ’ s getting to make this call all by himself .
I don ’ t know that we can entirely rule out the possibility that this is yet another example of a politician not wanting to let a perfectly good crisis go to waste .

If you live in Pennsylvania and are worried about Captain Trips, er… I mean the coronavirus leading to hoards of looters heading for your homes, I hope you stocked up on ammunition and purchased all the firearms you expect to need in advance. Governor Tom Wolf recently imposed his own version of a stay at home, shelter in place order and it included the mandatory closure of nonessential businesses. And he specifically determined that gun stores are “nonessential” during these trying times. The decision was challenged in court, but now the state supreme court has weighed in and said that mandatory closure order can go forward. (Free Beacon)
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Sunday night denied an emergency request that would have blocked a gubernatorial order mandating the closure of gun retailers in response to the novel coronavirus. The order to shut down gun stores was part of a larger plan set forth by the state’s Democratic governor, Tom Wolf, mandating the closure of businesses not deemed “life-sustaining.” Gun-rights advocates asked the state’s Supreme Court to block the order as it applied to gun retailers, but the seven-member court denied the request. The court’s decision comes as Pennsylvanians and Americans more broadly have flooded gun stores. Industry officials said sales had spiked as much as 300 percent last week due to concerns of relaxed law enforcement during the outbreak and some retailers even reported running out of stock—at least temporarily. While the first states to implement aggressive shutdown measures have split on whether they would include gun stores, the country’s top gun-rights groups have threatened more legal action.
With plenty of states issuing emergency orders closing all manner of “nonessential” businesses, this is starting to sound like a case where an immediate appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States might be in order. The reason I say this is that we have different courts ruling in opposite directions on the subject. New Jersey and now Pennsylvania have closed their gun shops while Illinois declared them essential services and allowed them to remain open. New York’s gun stores are also closed. As the coronavirus spreads into more red states, we’ll no doubt see more exceptions being made.
This is a complicated question because it entails issues on a couple of different levels. First of all, what criteria are involved in determining if a particular type of store is essential? In New York, for example, liquor stores are still open because they are essential services, but the gun shops are closed. (Wolf is at least consistent in that regard because he also closed the state liquor stores.) I would have imagined that retaining the ability to defend yourself and your family in your home would be considered not only essential but vital when facing the possibility of widespread unrest.
Beyond that, there’s a pretty big difference between booze, which you do not have a constitutional right to (though you should!) and firearms, which are protected for law-abiding citizens under the Second Amendment. The court split 4-3 on this question and in the dissent, one of the justices described the order to close the gun shops as an “impermissible intrusion upon a fundamental constitutional right.”
I’m not sure if the situation would change even on appeal, however. As I’ve noted here before, the sweeping powers granted to the executive branch at every level during a declared state of emergency are troubling at a minimum. But the courts have historically backed them up. It’s conceivable that even our more conservative SCOTUS of 2020 might go along with Wolf here, making the situation all the more depressing.
If this is nothing more than a question of keeping people safe from any possible transmission of the virus, we’ve worked those issues out already for other types of stores. The same could easily be done for gun shops. Of course, we might be dealing with politics more than public safety. Wolf is a Democrat and he’s getting to make this call all by himself. I don’t know that we can entirely rule out the possibility that this is yet another example of a politician not wanting to let a perfectly good crisis go to waste.


hotair--2020-03-24--Would Trump sign a relief bill that promises four months' salary to furloughed workers?

Watch Schumer speaking a few hours ago on the Senate floor .
If he ’ s telling the truth , he and the White House sound close to a deal that would put the federal government on the hook for as much as four months ’ wages for American workers — provided that their businesses keep them on staff .
Why ?
Watch , then read on .
The idea of the government paying wages was touted by Tucker Carlson last week on Fox as a superior alternative to Mitt Romney ’ s plan to just cut everyone a check @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s well-meaning , said Carlson , but foolish .
For one thing , it ’ s too meager ; few of us suddenly deprived of a salary could get by each month on a thousand bucks plus unemployment .
But it ’ s also short-sighted with respect to a critical problem : Continuity .
We don ’ t want American workers being forced to scatter to the winds amid an economic “ freeze ” that ’ ll last a few months .
We want them in place , still with their old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ running once social distancing can be responsibly relaxed .
The German solution , which Carlson extolled , is to have businesses retain their employees during a crisis and simply reduce their hours .
The government would then step in and pay the wages for those missing hours .
That way the business remains intact and employees continue to get the money they need to survive .
Once the crisis lifts , everyone can go right back to work .
Denmark has an even more generous variation of that plan , in which 75 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( up to a certain limit ) would be covered by the government irrespective of whether they work or not .
A Danish professor described it to the Atlantic : In the German plan , the government and the employer share the cost of paying for work .
Here , the government is paying companies for employees who are going home and not working .
These workers are being paid a wage to do nothing .
The government is saying : Lots of people are suddenly in danger of being fired .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be very difficult to adapt later .
This way , the company maintains their workforce under the crisis and people maintain their salaries .
You are compensating people even though they have to go home .
It ’ s unemployment insurance plus job continuity , essentially .
Britain is doing something similar , covering 80 percent of wages up to $ 2,900 per month .
Just as most developed countries now agree on the proper strategy for mitigating the virus — aggressive social distancing to flatten the curve — there ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handle the “ economic freeze ” problem .
Keep everyone on the job .
Pay them until we ’ re ready to roll .
Sounds like the Senate bill , with Steve Mnuchin ’ s cooperation , will look like that too .
There ’ s an added benefit to the scheme , though , which is where it gets interesting politically .
The Danish professor flagged it in the Atlantic interview : The important thing to remember is that our health system must be able to treat those who need treatment .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ fast as it has in some regions in Italy and Spain , our health system will have no capacity .
But by [ slowing ] the spread of the virus , our health system will have the capacity to treat those with the disease .
That ’ s the health strategy .
It ’ s not on my table , but it ’ s part of the overall strategy of government .
If we need to keep the lockdown for a longer period of time , we may rethink our plan and come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s important to say that we will do more .
Guaranteeing four months ’ salary up front will make it much easier for people to comply with mass social distancing measures .
Give folks a $ 1,000 check one time , or once a month , and the economic pressure on local authorities to follow Trump ’ s lead in sending everyone back to work prematurely will be intense .
Someone who can ’ t feed themselves on scant government benefits , and who ’ s terrified that they ’ ll be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lockdowns lift , will naturally be frantic for “ normalcy ” to resume — even though it wouldn ’ t remain normal for long once the virus starts spreading again .
But someone who ’ s able to make ends meet for a few months via more generous government assistance , and who knows that their job is waiting for them once a semblance of normalcy returns , won ’ t be as frantic .
They ’ ll be more willing to stay put at home .
Which means sustained lockdowns in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for much longer .
Which … is a bad thing as far as Trump ’ s concerned , right ?
He wants everyone back to work by Easter .
If Schumer ’ s version of the bill makes it past the Senate and then ends up earning support in the House , Trump will come under heavy pressure to sign it and get the money out the door .
But if he signs it , he ’ s giving away a huge amount of political leverage to implement his “ back to work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end the lockdowns quickly would diminish considerably .
The human toll from economic pain that he keeps mentioning , starting with suicides , would also diminish if people know their income is assured and that there ’ ll be a job waiting for them when this ends .
So what ’ s left of the “ get back to work ” push if he signs it ?
It would make no sense to take a bow for guaranteeing people four months ’ of income this week and then turn around next week and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s start working again.
” This is the sort of bill you sign if you ’ re fully committed to lockdowns , potentially for a few months , to reduce the spread of contagion .
Not if you ’ re already fidgety about a frozen economy .
Are Mnuchin and Trump even on the same page ?
Or , possibly , does Mnuchin know that the “ get back to work ” thing is going nowhere and is wisely preparing for that eventuality by working on a generous income replacement plan now ?

Watch Schumer speaking a few hours ago on the Senate floor. If he’s telling the truth, he and the White House sound close to a deal that would put the federal government on the hook for as much as four months’ wages for American workers — provided that their businesses keep them on staff. Why? Watch, then read on.
SCHUMER on coronavirus emergency plan he’s negotiating: If you lose your job, you can be furloughed by your employer. That means you can keep employer-provided benefits, but the federal govt will pay four salary for 4 months pic.twitter.com/0lfAVWRw4b — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 24, 2020
The idea of the government paying wages was touted by Tucker Carlson last week on Fox as a superior alternative to Mitt Romney’s plan to just cut everyone a check for $1,000 or whatever. That’s well-meaning, said Carlson, but foolish. For one thing, it’s too meager; few of us suddenly deprived of a salary could get by each month on a thousand bucks plus unemployment. But it’s also short-sighted with respect to a critical problem: Continuity. We don’t want American workers being forced to scatter to the winds amid an economic “freeze” that’ll last a few months. We want them in place, still with their old employers, ready to hit the ground running once social distancing can be responsibly relaxed.
The German solution, which Carlson extolled, is to have businesses retain their employees during a crisis and simply reduce their hours. The government would then step in and pay the wages for those missing hours. That way the business remains intact and employees continue to get the money they need to survive. Once the crisis lifts, everyone can go right back to work. Denmark has an even more generous variation of that plan, in which 75 percent of a worker’s wages (up to a certain limit) would be covered by the government irrespective of whether they work or not. A Danish professor described it to the Atlantic:
In the German plan, the government and the employer share the cost of paying for work. Here, the government is paying companies for employees who are going home and not working. These workers are being paid a wage to do nothing. The government is saying: Lots of people are suddenly in danger of being fired. But if we have firing rounds, it will be very difficult to adapt later. This way, the company maintains their workforce under the crisis and people maintain their salaries. You are compensating people even though they have to go home.
It’s unemployment insurance plus job continuity, essentially. Britain is doing something similar, covering 80 percent of wages up to $2,900 per month. Just as most developed countries now agree on the proper strategy for mitigating the virus — aggressive social distancing to flatten the curve — there’s a consensus strategy developing on how to handle the “economic freeze” problem. Keep everyone on the job. Pay them until we’re ready to roll. Sounds like the Senate bill, with Steve Mnuchin’s cooperation, will look like that too.
There’s an added benefit to the scheme, though, which is where it gets interesting politically. The Danish professor flagged it in the Atlantic interview:
The important thing to remember is that our health system must be able to treat those who need treatment. If the virus spreads in Denmark as fast as it has in some regions in Italy and Spain, our health system will have no capacity. But by [slowing] the spread of the virus, our health system will have the capacity to treat those with the disease. That’s the health strategy. It’s not on my table, but it’s part of the overall strategy of government. If we need to keep the lockdown for a longer period of time, we may rethink our plan and come up with new initiatives. But it’s important to say that we will do more.
Guaranteeing four months’ salary up front will make it much easier for people to comply with mass social distancing measures. Give folks a $1,000 check one time, or once a month, and the economic pressure on local authorities to follow Trump’s lead in sending everyone back to work prematurely will be intense. Someone who can’t feed themselves on scant government benefits, and who’s terrified that they’ll be out of work for months once the lockdowns lift, will naturally be frantic for “normalcy” to resume — even though it wouldn’t remain normal for long once the virus starts spreading again. But someone who’s able to make ends meet for a few months via more generous government assistance, and who knows that their job is waiting for them once a semblance of normalcy returns, won’t be as frantic. They’ll be more willing to stay put at home. Which means sustained lockdowns in the name of flattening the curve can continue for much longer.
Which … is a bad thing as far as Trump’s concerned, right? He wants everyone back to work by Easter. If Schumer’s version of the bill makes it past the Senate and then ends up earning support in the House, Trump will come under heavy pressure to sign it and get the money out the door. But if he signs it, he’s giving away a huge amount of political leverage to implement his “back to work” plan. The economic incentives to end the lockdowns quickly would diminish considerably. The human toll from economic pain that he keeps mentioning, starting with suicides, would also diminish if people know their income is assured and that there’ll be a job waiting for them when this ends. So what’s left of the “get back to work” push if he signs it? It would make no sense to take a bow for guaranteeing people four months’ of income this week and then turn around next week and say, “Okay, let’s start working again.” This is the sort of bill you sign if you’re fully committed to lockdowns, potentially for a few months, to reduce the spread of contagion. Not if you’re already fidgety about a frozen economy.
Are Mnuchin and Trump even on the same page? Or, possibly, does Mnuchin know that the “get back to work” thing is going nowhere and is wisely preparing for that eventuality by working on a generous income replacement plan now?


hotair--2020-03-24--Fauci to media: Stop trying to pit me against Trump, please

Ever since Anthony Fauci emerged as one of the most credible and confidence-building messengers of the coronavirus crisis , speculation on his relationship with Donald Trump has percolated in the media .
Lately , as Trump has begun to talk about prioritizing the economy , speculation has turned to outright provocation , and Fauci has grown tired of it .
In an interview with WMAL this morning , the head of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases told the media to stop trying to force a split at a time when we need unity more than ever : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spinning a narrative that he was butting heads with President Trump over the country ’ s coronavirus response , calling it “ really unfortunate ” and “ not helpful ” that there are stories “ pitting ” him against the president .
“ I would wish that that would stop , because we have a much bigger problem here than trying to point out differences , ” Fauci told WMAL ’ s Mornings on the Mall on Tuesday .
“ Really , fundamentally at the core , when you look at things , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nation ’ s leading expert on infectious diseases and member of the White House ’ s coronavirus task force , also praised Trump for his incorporation of advice from the task force into crafting the administration ’ s response .
Here ’ s the moment when Fauci ’ s frustration comes through , courtesy of our friend Reagan Battalion on Twitter : FAUCI : That is really unfortunate .
I would wish that that would stop , because we have a much bigger problem here than trying to point out differences .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ when you look at things , there are not differences .
The president has listened to what I have said and what the other people on the task force have said .
When I ’ ve made recommendations he ’ s taken them .
He ’ s never countered or overridden me .
The idea of just pitting one against the other is just not helpful .
I wish that would stop , and we ’ d look ahead at the challenge we have to pull together , to get over this thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this will pertain if Trump insists on ending the Great Hunkering Down period in favor of an earlier economic rebound .
At the moment , though , neither man has given any indication of friction , instead praising each other when asked directly about it .
Trump offered no sense of frustration with Fauci at today ’ s Fox News town hall , even while pushing for an Easter economic resurrection : Trump even appeared to poke fun at the speculation by retweeting a popular Fauci meme , one which captured the reaction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ press briefing : Most if not all of the supposed split between Fauci and Trump has come from anonymous sourcing and speculative analysis by journalists .
A good example is this segment from today ’ s Morning Joe on MSNBC , which doesn ’ t even have the anonymous sourcing as a basis for their conclusions .
It doesn ’ t mean they ’ re wrong , but it just means that speculation is all it really is .
And Dr. Fauci would really like to see this kind of thing stop , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will serve no one ’ s interests … except the media ’ s .

Ever since Anthony Fauci emerged as one of the most credible and confidence-building messengers of the coronavirus crisis, speculation on his relationship with Donald Trump has percolated in the media. Lately, as Trump has begun to talk about prioritizing the economy, speculation has turned to outright provocation, and Fauci has grown tired of it. In an interview with WMAL this morning, the head of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases told the media to stop trying to force a split at a time when we need unity more than ever:
Dr. Anthony Fauci slammed the media for spinning a narrative that he was butting heads with President Trump over the country’s coronavirus response, calling it “really unfortunate” and “not helpful” that there are stories “pitting” him against the president. “I would wish that that would stop, because we have a much bigger problem here than trying to point out differences,” Fauci told WMAL’s Mornings on the Mall on Tuesday. “Really, fundamentally at the core, when you look at things, there are not differences.” Fauci, the nation’s leading expert on infectious diseases and member of the White House’s coronavirus task force, also praised Trump for his incorporation of advice from the task force into crafting the administration’s response.
Here’s the moment when Fauci’s frustration comes through, courtesy of our friend Reagan Battalion on Twitter:
He’s had enough! Dr: Fauci to the media:
I wish you would stop trying to create a rift between me and @realDonaldTrump, there is none, you are not helping us, I wish you would stop! https://t.co/3KvNlJRJgF pic.twitter.com/smSjQV9y54 — Reagan Battalion (@ReaganBattalion) March 24, 2020
FAUCI: That is really unfortunate. I would wish that that would stop, because we have a much bigger problem here than trying to point out differences. There really fundamentally at the core, when you look at things, there are not differences. The president has listened to what I have said and what the other people on the task force have said. When I’ve made recommendations he’s taken them. He’s never countered or overridden me. The idea of just pitting one against the other is just not helpful. I wish that would stop, and we’d look ahead at the challenge we have to pull together, to get over this thing.
One has to wonder how long this will pertain if Trump insists on ending the Great Hunkering Down period in favor of an earlier economic rebound. At the moment, though, neither man has given any indication of friction, instead praising each other when asked directly about it. Trump offered no sense of frustration with Fauci at today’s Fox News town hall, even while pushing for an Easter economic resurrection:
Trump tells FoxNews his relationship with Fauci is good amid reports that it's strained. "Tony's extraordinary," Trump says. Sometimes experts miss meetings/briefings because "you know, they have other things to do." — Olivier Knox (@OKnox) March 24, 2020
https://twitter.com/AaronBlake/status/1242504532606754817
Trump even appeared to poke fun at the speculation by retweeting a popular Fauci meme, one which captured the reaction to something Trump said at a recent press briefing:
Dr. Fauci is all of us 🤦🏼♂ pic.twitter.com/WTShJUchsr — Laura Martínez® (@miblogestublog) March 20, 2020
Most if not all of the supposed split between Fauci and Trump has come from anonymous sourcing and speculative analysis by journalists. A good example is this segment from today’s Morning Joe on MSNBC, which doesn’t even have the anonymous sourcing as a basis for their conclusions. It doesn’t mean they’re wrong, but it just means that speculation is all it really is. And Dr. Fauci would really like to see this kind of thing stop, before it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that will serve no one’s interests … except the media’s.


hotair--2020-03-24--Some on the left are still overthinking the right's response to Chinese propaganda (Update)

CNN published a piece today which highlights the Chinese propaganda effort to blame the coronavirus on the U.S .
The headline ( “ Blame game escalates between US and China over coronavirus disinformation ” ) is a bit vague but the story itself is pretty straightforward : US officials have been closely monitoring China ’ s disinformation efforts and attempted to push back on the increasing number of false claims from Chinese officials over the last month .
Yet China ’ s disinformation campaign is ongoing , US officials warn , pointing to comments that were made on Sunday by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which he suggested the virus started in the US dating back to September 2019 and that those with the flu at that time were misdiagnosed .
In response , the Trump administration has implemented a coordinated messaging campaign which includes talking points sent out by the National Security Council pushing US officials to highlight China ’ s alleged “ coverup ” and subsequent disinformation campaign , CNN has learned… One source close to the White House told CNN earlier this month that Trump had privately expressed anger toward China but had not yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Beijing publicly due to concerns that doing so could negatively impact trade talks between the two countries .
But Trump has appeared to change his tone in recent days , most notably by joining Meadows and other top officials in characterizing the outbreak as a “ Chinese virus , ” a shift one Republican aide told CNN was likely prompted by Beijing ’ s disinformation campaign aimed at shifting blame onto the US , and by default , Trump himself .
It ’ s a fairly simple story .
Trump initially had praise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As the virus has spread around the world the Chinese propaganda effort racheted up in an attempt to a ) protect Xi and b ) portray China as a world leader .
That effort for the last several weeks has included attempts by Chinese officials to spread the lie that the virus originated in the U.S. As China has pushed this lie , Trump has finally gotten to the point where he is explicitly blaming China rather than allow the attempt to blame the pandemic on the U.S. to go unchallenged .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China ’ s bad behavior doesn ’ t involve any 11-dimensional chess moves .
But over at the Atlantic , progressive scribe Adam Serwer has published a lengthy piece which frames Trump ’ s change or heart as a dastardly right-wing plot .
Serwer is confident this is so even though he admits that the major elements of the conservative take on the Chinese propaganda effort are all true : Conservatives insist that the Chinese government bears a great deal of responsibility for the outbreak , and that the president is merely holding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ argue , by criticizing the president ’ s rhetoric as racist , are falling into a trap set by Chinese propagandists , who are hoping to characterize any criticism of Beijing ’ s role in the outbreak as racism .
This criticism contains an element of truth .
As The Wall Street Journal reported in early March , the Chinese government lied about the threat posed by COVID-19 and the coronavirus ’ s transmissibility to humans , and dragged its feet in informing the public , even silencing a whistleblower , Li Wenliang @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the threat of the disease before succumbing to it himself .
“ By not moving aggressively to warn the public and medical professionals , public-health experts say , the Chinese government lost one of its best chances to keep the disease from becoming an epidemic , ” The New York Times reported in early February .
Since that report , Chinese officials have engaged in a propaganda offensive , expelling American journalists , minimizing their early missteps , and putting forth a conspiracy theory that the virus was engineered by the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president ’ s defenders argue , Trump referring to the coronavirus as the “ Chinese virus ” seems trivial .
Despite all of this , he thinks the real story here isn ’ t that Trump changed his mind based on evidence of Chinese misbehavior , rather it ’ s all a cover-up : The right ’ s rhetorical shift then , is not just another racism rope-a-dope , an attempt to bait the left into a culture-war argument and divert attention from the president ’ s disastrous handling of the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cover up the fact that the Chinese government ’ s propaganda campaign was effective in that it helped persuade the president of the United States not to take adequate precautionary measures to stem a tide of pestilence that U.S. government officials saw coming .
Now faced with the profound consequences of that decision , the right has settled on a strategy that does little to hold Beijing accountable for its mishandling of the coronavirus , but instead plays into Beijing ’ s attempt to cast any criticism of the Chinese government ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s really overthinking this .
Speaking as someone who has been part of the right-wing media for more than a decade , the right ’ s rhetoric didn ’ t shift because of a calculated media strategy .
I didn ’ t get any secret tips or emails from the White House .
My view , and the views of a lot of other people , shifted because China was spreading propaganda that , at first , tried to suggest the origin of the virus was unknown and later went further and blamed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ true for the internal shift within the administration .
People tracking what China was doing responded to counter its false claims .
As for Serwer ’ s claim that Trump ’ s response plays into a Chinese strategy to frame all criticism as racism , that ’ s quite a spin .
Just last week there was a press conference where four different reporters asked the president if he was wrong to use the phrase “ Chinese virus.
” There are numerous media reporters who are counting the number of times Trump uses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so .
At a minimum , Serwer is leaving out a crucial link in the chain .
It ’ s the left-leaning U.S. media that has made rejecting Chinese propaganda by stating a simple fact about the real origin of the virus into a game of race and xenophobia .
And not surprisingly , the Chinese propagandists are capitalizing on that media push even today .
The communist propagandists aren ’ t praising Trump , they ’ re trying to shut him up by citing the criticism leveled by the media .
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ efforts again ?
Who are they quoting affirmatively in this instance ?
The answer isn ’ t Trump , it ’ s Acosta .
There ’ s no 11-dimensional chess going on here .
China is spreading some terrible lies and Trump is refusing to let them get away with it .
Meanwhile , many in the U.S. media have been acting as useful idiots , pretending that one of the most racist regimes in the world today cares about racism in order to attack the president .
Update : Another example , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Free Beacon .
This video is being promoted by Chinese State Media .
It ’ s communist China ’ s message as voiced by the American media , Democratic politicians , and celebrities .

CNN published a piece today which highlights the Chinese propaganda effort to blame the coronavirus on the U.S. The headline (“Blame game escalates between US and China over coronavirus disinformation”) is a bit vague but the story itself is pretty straightforward:
US officials have been closely monitoring China’s disinformation efforts and attempted to push back on the increasing number of false claims from Chinese officials over the last month. Yet China’s disinformation campaign is ongoing, US officials warn, pointing to comments that were made on Sunday by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lijian Zhoa in which he suggested the virus started in the US dating back to September 2019 and that those with the flu at that time were misdiagnosed. In response, the Trump administration has implemented a coordinated messaging campaign which includes talking points sent out by the National Security Council pushing US officials to highlight China’s alleged “coverup” and subsequent disinformation campaign, CNN has learned… One source close to the White House told CNN earlier this month that Trump had privately expressed anger toward China but had not yet reached the point of lashing out at Beijing publicly due to concerns that doing so could negatively impact trade talks between the two countries. But Trump has appeared to change his tone in recent days, most notably by joining Meadows and other top officials in characterizing the outbreak as a “Chinese virus,” a shift one Republican aide told CNN was likely prompted by Beijing’s disinformation campaign aimed at shifting blame onto the US, and by default, Trump himself.
It’s a fairly simple story. Trump initially had praise for China and for Xi Jinping. As the virus has spread around the world the Chinese propaganda effort racheted up in an attempt to a) protect Xi and b) portray China as a world leader. That effort for the last several weeks has included attempts by Chinese officials to spread the lie that the virus originated in the U.S. As China has pushed this lie, Trump has finally gotten to the point where he is explicitly blaming China rather than allow the attempt to blame the pandemic on the U.S. to go unchallenged.
This story of Trump reacting somewhat slowly to China’s bad behavior doesn’t involve any 11-dimensional chess moves. But over at the Atlantic, progressive scribe Adam Serwer has published a lengthy piece which frames Trump’s change or heart as a dastardly right-wing plot. Serwer is confident this is so even though he admits that the major elements of the conservative take on the Chinese propaganda effort are all true:
Conservatives insist that the Chinese government bears a great deal of responsibility for the outbreak, and that the president is merely holding the CCP accountable. Liberals, they argue, by criticizing the president’s rhetoric as racist, are falling into a trap set by Chinese propagandists, who are hoping to characterize any criticism of Beijing’s role in the outbreak as racism. This criticism contains an element of truth. As The Wall Street Journal reported in early March, the Chinese government lied about the threat posed by COVID-19 and the coronavirus’s transmissibility to humans, and dragged its feet in informing the public, even silencing a whistleblower, Li Wenliang, who tried to warn the country about the threat of the disease before succumbing to it himself. “By not moving aggressively to warn the public and medical professionals, public-health experts say, the Chinese government lost one of its best chances to keep the disease from becoming an epidemic,” The New York Times reported in early February. Since that report, Chinese officials have engaged in a propaganda offensive, expelling American journalists, minimizing their early missteps, and putting forth a conspiracy theory that the virus was engineered by the U.S. military. Compared with all this, the president’s defenders argue, Trump referring to the coronavirus as the “Chinese virus” seems trivial.
Despite all of this, he thinks the real story here isn’t that Trump changed his mind based on evidence of Chinese misbehavior, rather it’s all a cover-up:
The right’s rhetorical shift then, is not just another racism rope-a-dope, an attempt to bait the left into a culture-war argument and divert attention from the president’s disastrous handling of the coronavirus pandemic. It is also an attempt to cover up the fact that the Chinese government’s propaganda campaign was effective in that it helped persuade the president of the United States not to take adequate precautionary measures to stem a tide of pestilence that U.S. government officials saw coming. Now faced with the profound consequences of that decision, the right has settled on a strategy that does little to hold Beijing accountable for its mishandling of the coronavirus, but instead plays into Beijing’s attempt to cast any criticism of the Chinese government’s response as racism.
He’s really overthinking this. Speaking as someone who has been part of the right-wing media for more than a decade, the right’s rhetoric didn’t shift because of a calculated media strategy. I didn’t get any secret tips or emails from the White House. My view, and the views of a lot of other people, shifted because China was spreading propaganda that, at first, tried to suggest the origin of the virus was unknown and later went further and blamed the U.S. directly. The same is true for the internal shift within the administration. People tracking what China was doing responded to counter its false claims.
As for Serwer’s claim that Trump’s response plays into a Chinese strategy to frame all criticism as racism, that’s quite a spin. Just last week there was a press conference where four different reporters asked the president if he was wrong to use the phrase “Chinese virus.” There are numerous media reporters who are counting the number of times Trump uses the phrase and castigating him for doing so.
At a minimum, Serwer is leaving out a crucial link in the chain. It’s the left-leaning U.S. media that has made rejecting Chinese propaganda by stating a simple fact about the real origin of the virus into a game of race and xenophobia. And not surprisingly, the Chinese propagandists are capitalizing on that media push even today.
4/6 Many in the U.S. opposed the use of “Chinese virus”, saying that it is bald-faced racism & xenophobia, & it will expose certain people under the risk of racism & violence. The challenge of #COVID19 needs to be tackled with joint efforts, instead of fear-mongering. — Lijian Zhao 赵立坚 (@zlj517) March 24, 2020
The communist propagandists aren’t praising Trump, they’re trying to shut him up by citing the criticism leveled by the media. So who is playing into the Chinese propaganda efforts again? Who are they quoting affirmatively in this instance? The answer isn’t Trump, it’s Acosta.
There’s no 11-dimensional chess going on here. China is spreading some terrible lies and Trump is refusing to let them get away with it. Meanwhile, many in the U.S. media have been acting as useful idiots, pretending that one of the most racist regimes in the world today cares about racism in order to attack the president.
Update: Another example, this one pointed out by the Washington Free Beacon. This video is being promoted by Chinese State Media. It’s communist China’s message as voiced by the American media, Democratic politicians, and celebrities.


hotair--2020-03-24--No biggie. Iran just stole a billion euros in coronavirus aid

About a week ago , John posed the question , where is Ayatollah Khamenei while his country sickens under the weight of the pandemic ?
Well , it turns out he ’ s been busy with other things .
I ’ ve yet to see this story mentioned even once on CNN this week , which is really quite shocking when you consider all of the implications .
While news out of Iran is often hard to come by , it ’ s no secret that it ’ s one of the countries being hit the hardest by the global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is nearing 2,000 with more than 20,000 confirmed or suspected cases of infection .
And those are just the numbers their government is releasing .
Intelligence sources inside the country indicate that the real totals are almost certainly far higher .
The country isn ’ t exactly up to speed with much of the west in terms of medical infrastructure , so the people of Europe decided to band together and send more than a billion euros in aid to help them during this time of crisis .
And what did the Mullahs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Europeans for their charitable largess ?
They pocketed the money and hoarded the supplies for themselves , of course .
What else would you expect them to do with it ?
( Free Beacon ) 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 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
Iran has been among the hardest hit by the virus , and its government ’ s response has drawn international criticism , especially from the Trump administration .
Secretary of State Pompeo accused Iran of mass corruption as the regime continues to spread propaganda , including accusations that the United States manufactured the coronavirus and is using its tough global sanctions campaign to prevent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The details of this report are stunning .
Anyone with access to Iranian state television can see the government lying to its own people , insinuating that the United States developed the coronavirus in a lab to use as a weapon against them .
They lie about the current sanctions , blaming those policies for the lack of medicine and medical supplies in Iran when , in reality , all the sanctions have exceptions for such humanitarian aid .
Meanwhile , Secretary Pompeo released some additional intelligence showing that the Iranian government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for themselves or selling those products on the black market rather than delivering them to the people .
Iran has also refused to discontinue airline flights to and from China , almost certainly contributing to the rapid spread of the disease to the point where it ’ s now completely out of control there .
The Iranian regime remains incredibly corrupt , dishonest and cloaked in secrecy .
They ’ re allowing their own people to die while their leaders hide away and hoard needed supplies .
And they continue to blame all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
( That would be us… the people actually trying to solve the problem . )
But the fact is , most everyone who pays any attention to international affairs already knew all of this about Iran ’ s government .
Much like North Korea , Iran ’ s government spends its money on trying to develop their nuclear weapons programs instead of caring for their own citizens .
Perhaps our European allies and the reasonable members of the United Nations should take this news into account in the future .
Aid to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ food and medical supplies and only be delivered if it can be directly distributed on the local level .
And stop sending them mountains of cash if you know that it ’ s only going to be stolen .
Hopefully , the United States finally learned a lesson about that after the pallets full of billions of dollars in American cash disappeared down that rathole during the Obama administration .
Europe should learn from our previous ( poor ) example .

About a week ago, John posed the question, where is Ayatollah Khamenei while his country sickens under the weight of the pandemic? Well, it turns out he’s been busy with other things.
I’ve yet to see this story mentioned even once on CNN this week, which is really quite shocking when you consider all of the implications. While news out of Iran is often hard to come by, it’s no secret that it’s one of the countries being hit the hardest by the global coronavirus pandemic. The death toll there is nearing 2,000 with more than 20,000 confirmed or suspected cases of infection. And those are just the numbers their government is releasing. Intelligence sources inside the country indicate that the real totals are almost certainly far higher.
The country isn’t exactly up to speed with much of the west in terms of medical infrastructure, so the people of Europe decided to band together and send more than a billion euros in aid to help them during this time of crisis. And what did the Mullahs who run the country do to thank the Europeans for their charitable largess? They pocketed the money and hoarded the supplies for themselves, of course. What else would you expect them to do with it? (Free Beacon)
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. Iran has been among the hardest hit by the virus, and its government’s response has drawn international criticism, especially from the Trump administration. Secretary of State Pompeo accused Iran of mass corruption as the regime continues to spread propaganda, including accusations that the United States manufactured the coronavirus and is using its tough global sanctions campaign to prevent Iran from accessing medicine and humanitarian aid.
The details of this report are stunning. Anyone with access to Iranian state television can see the government lying to its own people, insinuating that the United States developed the coronavirus in a lab to use as a weapon against them. They lie about the current sanctions, blaming those policies for the lack of medicine and medical supplies in Iran when, in reality, all the sanctions have exceptions for such humanitarian aid.
Meanwhile, Secretary Pompeo released some additional intelligence showing that the Iranian government is hoarding masks, gloves and sanitizer for themselves or selling those products on the black market rather than delivering them to the people. Iran has also refused to discontinue airline flights to and from China, almost certainly contributing to the rapid spread of the disease to the point where it’s now completely out of control there.
The Iranian regime remains incredibly corrupt, dishonest and cloaked in secrecy. They’re allowing their own people to die while their leaders hide away and hoard needed supplies. And they continue to blame all of their woes on the Great Satan. (That would be us… the people actually trying to solve the problem.)
But the fact is, most everyone who pays any attention to international affairs already knew all of this about Iran’s government. Much like North Korea, Iran’s government spends its money on trying to develop their nuclear weapons programs instead of caring for their own citizens. Perhaps our European allies and the reasonable members of the United Nations should take this news into account in the future. Aid to Iran should probably be limited to actual food and medical supplies and only be delivered if it can be directly distributed on the local level. And stop sending them mountains of cash if you know that it’s only going to be stolen. Hopefully, the United States finally learned a lesson about that after the pallets full of billions of dollars in American cash disappeared down that rathole during the Obama administration. Europe should learn from our previous (poor) example.


hotair--2020-03-24--Today's hot topics on #TEMS: COVID-19 review, Congress askew, Italy view, Biden's miscue, and more!

Today on The Ed Morrissey Show ( 4 pm ET ) , we have another great lineup for the news of the day !
The show will be streamed on Hot Air ’ s Facebook page and embedded here and on the show page for those who are not on Facebook .
Join us as we welcome : • Andrew Malcolm joins us for Tuesdays with Andrew !
The Prince of Twitter and I will discuss all of the hot political stories of the day .
Can Donald Trump remain presidential long enough to extend his polling momentum in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look at the other politics around this crisis , including Trump ’ s new Easter target date for reopening America and the status of the relief bill .
• What does the COVID-19 crisis look like from one of its epicenters ?
Wall Street Journal reporter and veteran Vaticanista Francis X. Rocca joins us from Rome .
• Is there something the matter with Joe Biden ?
Jazz Shaw tells us why we should be worried .
The Ed Morrissey Show and its dynamic chatroom can be seen on the permanent TEMS page @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and don ’ t forget to keep up with the debate on my Facebook page , too !
How can Republicans and conservatives keep the momentum going ?
Find out in GOING RED , published in April from Crown Forum !

Today on The Ed Morrissey Show (4 pm ET), we have another great lineup for the news of the day! The show will be streamed on Hot Air’s Facebook page and embedded here and on the show page for those who are not on Facebook.
Join us as we welcome:
Andrew Malcolm joins us for Tuesdays with Andrew! The Prince of Twitter and I will discuss all of the hot political stories of the day. Can Donald Trump remain presidential long enough to extend his polling momentum in the coronavirus crisis? We’ll also look at the other politics around this crisis, including Trump’s new Easter target date for reopening America and the status of the relief bill.
What does the COVID-19 crisis look like from one of its epicenters? Wall Street Journal reporter and veteran Vaticanista Francis X. Rocca joins us from Rome.
Is there something the matter with Joe Biden? Jazz Shaw tells us why we should be worried.
The Ed Morrissey Show and its dynamic chatroom can be seen on the permanent TEMS page. Be sure to join us, and don’t forget to keep up with the debate on my Facebook page, too!
How can Republicans and conservatives keep the momentum going? Find out in GOING RED, published in April from Crown Forum!


hotair--2020-03-24--In China, critics of the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis simply disappear

When the coronavirus began spreading quickly through Wuhan a couple of Chinese video bloggers documented what was happening .
After Fang Bin published video of bodies stacked outside a morgue , a group of government minders showed up at his house late at night , demanding to be let in .
He refused but filmed the incident and uploaded the video to social media .
Fang Bin later disappeared and hasn ’ t been heard from since .
Another blogger named Chen Qiushi filed multiple reports per day from the epicenter for about a week .
Then he learned that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media and had contacted his parents to find out where he was staying .
He posted a video in which he said , “ I am scared .
I have the virus in front of me .
Behind me is China ’ s law enforcement.
” Shortly after he posted that video Chen Qiushi disappeared .
His mother posted a video asking what happened to him and his father was told he had been taken away and put into “ quarantine ” by government officials .
That quarantine is going on two months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States said this week he doesn ’ t know who Chen is despite having been asked about him previously : More recently , a Chinese developer named Ren Zhiqiang who has long been a critic of Chinese president Xi Jinping was believed to be the author of an essay critcizing Xi ’ s response to the crisis and China ’ s state-run media .
Here ’ s a sample of what he wrote : This outbreak of the Wuhan pneumonia epidemic has verified the reality : when all media took on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the people “ were abandoned ” indeed [ a reference to a forecast Ren made in his response to Xi ’ s declaration that the media should “ bear the Party surname ” ] .
Without a media representing the interests of the people by publishing the actual facts , the people ’ s lives are being ravaged by both the virus and the major illness of the system… I too am curiously and conscientiously studying [ Xi ’ s teleconferenced February 23 ] speech , but what I saw in it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” reported by all types of media and online .
I saw not an emperor standing there exhibiting his “ new clothes , ” but a clown who stripped naked and insisted on continuing being emperor .
Despite holding a series of loincloths up in an attempt to cover the reality of your nakedness , you don ’ t in the slightest hide your resolute ambition to be an emperor , or the determination to let anyone who won ’ t let you be destroyed .
That was in late February .
After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A report from the Asia Times suggests he is now facing 15 years in prison : Ren , 70 , has not been seen since then , and his friends have taken to social media seeking information about his whereabouts .
News came out during the past weekend , however , that Ren is being held at a secret prison in a suburb in Beijing and that he may be locked up for no less than 15 years as he has been a recidivist , relentlessly attacking Xi .
It is said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party ’ s commission on discipline inspection , have been given instructions from the top echelon of the central leadership to treat him harshly because he has infuriated the top leader .
If accurate , it means Ren is facing what amounts to a life sentence for criticizing Xi Jinping .
This is how communist China operates .
If you make the leader look bad , even by telling the truth , you pay a price .
Meanwhile , foreign ministry spokesman Lijian Zhao , who has spread the false claim that U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is now talking about unity and the brotherhood of man .
The Chinese government doesn ’ t care about racial discrimination .
If it did , it wouldn ’ t be “ re-educating ” a million Uyghurs in Xinjiang against their will .
What China cares about is saving face and protecting president Xi Jinping from criticism .
In the U.S. that takes the form of this social justice BS designed to get Americans to stop talking about where the virus originated .
But in China , where the communist government is free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simply disappear .
This video by the Wall Street Journal was published on March 13th :

When the coronavirus began spreading quickly through Wuhan a couple of Chinese video bloggers documented what was happening. After Fang Bin published video of bodies stacked outside a morgue, a group of government minders showed up at his house late at night, demanding to be let in. He refused but filmed the incident and uploaded the video to social media. Fang Bin later disappeared and hasn’t been heard from since.
Another blogger named Chen Qiushi filed multiple reports per day from the epicenter for about a week. Then he learned that authorities had removed his posts from social media and had contacted his parents to find out where he was staying. He posted a video in which he said, “I am scared. I have the virus in front of me. Behind me is China’s law enforcement.” Shortly after he posted that video Chen Qiushi disappeared. His mother posted a video asking what happened to him and his father was told he had been taken away and put into “quarantine” by government officials. That quarantine is going on two months now and China’s ambassador to the United States said this week he doesn’t know who Chen is despite having been asked about him previously:
More recently, a Chinese developer named Ren Zhiqiang who has long been a critic of Chinese president Xi Jinping was believed to be the author of an essay critcizing Xi’s response to the crisis and China’s state-run media. Here’s a sample of what he wrote:
This outbreak of the Wuhan pneumonia epidemic has verified the reality: when all media took on the “surname of the Party” the people “were abandoned” indeed [a reference to a forecast Ren made in his response to Xi’s declaration that the media should “bear the Party surname”]. Without a media representing the interests of the people by publishing the actual facts, the people’s lives are being ravaged by both the virus and the major illness of the system… I too am curiously and conscientiously studying [Xi’s teleconferenced February 23] speech, but what I saw in it was the complete opposite of the “importance” reported by all types of media and online. I saw not an emperor standing there exhibiting his “new clothes,” but a clown who stripped naked and insisted on continuing being emperor. Despite holding a series of loincloths up in an attempt to cover the reality of your nakedness, you don’t in the slightest hide your resolute ambition to be an emperor, or the determination to let anyone who won’t let you be destroyed.
That was in late February. After that circulated online, Ren Zhiqiang disappeared. A report from the Asia Times suggests he is now facing 15 years in prison:
Ren, 70, has not been seen since then, and his friends have taken to social media seeking information about his whereabouts. News came out during the past weekend, however, that Ren is being held at a secret prison in a suburb in Beijing and that he may be locked up for no less than 15 years as he has been a recidivist, relentlessly attacking Xi. It is said that his interrogators, dispatched by the party’s commission on discipline inspection, have been given instructions from the top echelon of the central leadership to treat him harshly because he has infuriated the top leader.
If accurate, it means Ren is facing what amounts to a life sentence for criticizing Xi Jinping. This is how communist China operates. If you make the leader look bad, even by telling the truth, you pay a price. Meanwhile, foreign ministry spokesman Lijian Zhao, who has spread the false claim that U.S. soldiers spread the coronavirus in China, is now talking about unity and the brotherhood of man.
1/6 The world explicitly opposes linking #COVID19 with any specific country or region & opposes stigmatization. UN Secretary-General Guterres said “it is shameful to see increasing acts of racial discrimination & prejudice as we fight #COVID19, we must fight racism & prejudice”. — Lijian Zhao 赵立坚 (@zlj517) March 24, 2020
2/6 Chinese spox: EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs & Security Policy Borrell said the virus knows no borders, & we need cooperation & multilateralism, instead of competition & recrimination. It is not the time to blame one another with terms like “Chinese virus”. — Lijian Zhao 赵立坚 (@zlj517) March 24, 2020
3/6 Chinese Spox: WHO believes that we should avoid calling #COVID19 “Chinese virus”. “This is the time for facts, not fear. This is the time for science, not rumours. This is the time for solidarity, not stigma.” — Lijian Zhao 赵立坚 (@zlj517) March 24, 2020
4/6 Many in the U.S. opposed the use of “Chinese virus”, saying that it is bald-faced racism & xenophobia, & it will expose certain people under the risk of racism & violence. The challenge of #COVID19 needs to be tackled with joint efforts, instead of fear-mongering. — Lijian Zhao 赵立坚 (@zlj517) March 24, 2020
The Chinese government doesn’t care about racial discrimination. If it did, it wouldn’t be “re-educating” a million Uyghurs in Xinjiang against their will. What China cares about is saving face and protecting president Xi Jinping from criticism. In the U.S. that takes the form of this social justice BS designed to get Americans to stop talking about where the virus originated. But in China, where the communist government is free to work its will, government critics simply disappear.
This video by the Wall Street Journal was published on March 13th:


hotair--2020-03-24--Chicago PD break up parties in violation of stay at home order

Shelter in place or stay at home orders , social distancing and self-isolation are about all we have going for us at the moment in terms of at least slowing the spread of the pandemic .
But all of those schemes are only effective on one condition .
People have to actually follow the instructions .
So what do you do when a bunch of idiots who apparently think they are immortal decides to defy the orders and party like it ’ s 1999 ?
( Or any other era when we weren ’ t dealing with a deadly pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Windy City , you send in the cops to bust up the party and send everyone home .
( CBS Chicago ) Chicago police broke up at least two house parties Saturday night as dozens of people there defied orders to stay at home and keep away from large groups during the coronavirus pandemic .
Police got a call about a party in the Noble Square neighborhood .
Officers showed up around midnight and found dozens of people inside a home near Greenview Avenue and Blackhawk Street .
Officers then told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the party said around 30 people , mainly family and friends , attended .
Shortly after that incident , the cops were called to a second , equally large gathering in a different part of town .
They were also instructed to break up the festivities and go home .
Nobody was arrested in either case , though warnings were issued .
This brings up a number of questions .
If there was just one asymptomatic person at each party who didn ’ t know they had the virus , they could have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitals to deal with .
The people engaging in these activities aren ’ t only risking the health and safety of their fellow partygoers , either .
They ’ re endangering the police who have to show up and drag them out .
Many of the police departments can ’ t even find enough protective masks and other safety gear for their own officers .
The other side of this coin has to do with the fact that the report indicates nobody was arrested at either party .
Could they have been ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to haul them in , what would they be charged with ?
Assuming there were no illegal drugs , everyone was of legal drinking age and they had all been invited to come to the apartment , what law would they have broken ?
This circles back to questions I ’ ve raised here in the past about the limits of executive authority and emergency powers during a crisis .
Just because the Mayor issued a public “ order ” for everyone to shelter in place and not gather together in groups larger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new municipal ordinance passed .
There is no law on the books that they could be charged with when they showed up in front of a judge .
And as much as it pains us to admit it , stupidity is still not a crime .
Mayors and governors can issue orders like these and the courts have generally backed them up , at least for the duration of a significant crisis .
But under the rule of law , we still rely largely on the cooperation of the public to achieve the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to start throwing people in jail if they go to a party at their friend ’ s apartment ?
Well , that ’ s what they ’ re doing in Great Britain starting today .
BoJo just issued orders that prohibit public gatherings of more than two people who don ’ t live together .
And you ’ re only allowed to leave your home under a few specific circumstances .
The Brits were informed that the police have the authority to detain them and that they will be subject to fines .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a set of constitutionally assured rights like we do .
If the cops in Chicago actually start arresting idiots who are still throwing big parties and those people wind up in court , could a case really be brought against them ?
If so , we may have lived to see dangerous times in more ways than one .

Shelter in place or stay at home orders, social distancing and self-isolation are about all we have going for us at the moment in terms of at least slowing the spread of the pandemic. But all of those schemes are only effective on one condition. People have to actually follow the instructions. So what do you do when a bunch of idiots who apparently think they are immortal decides to defy the orders and party like it’s 1999? (Or any other era when we weren’t dealing with a deadly pandemic.) Well, in the case of the Windy City, you send in the cops to bust up the party and send everyone home. (CBS Chicago)
Chicago police broke up at least two house parties Saturday night as dozens of people there defied orders to stay at home and keep away from large groups during the coronavirus pandemic. Police got a call about a party in the Noble Square neighborhood. Officers showed up around midnight and found dozens of people inside a home near Greenview Avenue and Blackhawk Street. Officers then told everyone to leave. One woman leaving the party said around 30 people, mainly family and friends, attended.
Shortly after that incident, the cops were called to a second, equally large gathering in a different part of town. They were also instructed to break up the festivities and go home. Nobody was arrested in either case, though warnings were issued.
This brings up a number of questions. If there was just one asymptomatic person at each party who didn’t know they had the virus, they could have generated sixty more cases for the local hospitals to deal with. The people engaging in these activities aren’t only risking the health and safety of their fellow partygoers, either. They’re endangering the police who have to show up and drag them out. Many of the police departments can’t even find enough protective masks and other safety gear for their own officers.
The other side of this coin has to do with the fact that the report indicates nobody was arrested at either party. Could they have been? And if the Chicago PD did try to haul them in, what would they be charged with? Assuming there were no illegal drugs, everyone was of legal drinking age and they had all been invited to come to the apartment, what law would they have broken?
This circles back to questions I’ve raised here in the past about the limits of executive authority and emergency powers during a crisis. Just because the Mayor issued a public “order” for everyone to shelter in place and not gather together in groups larger than ten people, there was no new municipal ordinance passed. There is no law on the books that they could be charged with when they showed up in front of a judge. And as much as it pains us to admit it, stupidity is still not a crime.
Mayors and governors can issue orders like these and the courts have generally backed them up, at least for the duration of a significant crisis. But under the rule of law, we still rely largely on the cooperation of the public to achieve the desired effect. Are we seriously going to start throwing people in jail if they go to a party at their friend’s apartment?
Well, that’s what they’re doing in Great Britain starting today. BoJo just issued orders that prohibit public gatherings of more than two people who don’t live together. And you’re only allowed to leave your home under a few specific circumstances. The Brits were informed that the police have the authority to detain them and that they will be subject to fines. But the Brits don’t have a set of constitutionally assured rights like we do. If the cops in Chicago actually start arresting idiots who are still throwing big parties and those people wind up in court, could a case really be brought against them? If so, we may have lived to see dangerous times in more ways than one.


hotair--2020-03-24--<span class='red'>Breaking: Trump says aiming to reopen America by Easter; Update: Can't reopen unti

As a Catholic , I certainly appreciate the symbolism .
Will America be ready for its economic resurrection in less than three weeks ?
And what exactly did Donald Trump mean by “ raring to go ” by Easter ?
Needless to say , that ’ s a rather ambitious deadline for a disease where cases are doubling every three days in New York City .
Just one caveat — that might not be the deadline by which Trump will recommend that businesses re-open .
NBC ’ s Peter Alexander checked in at the White House , where he was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be recovering by Easter : Say what ?
Trump argued during the Fox News town hall that the crossover line between deadliness of the disease and the lethality of a crashed economy is coming quickly .
At some point , we need to address the latter as a higher priority : True enough , but there are some conditions for that crossover .
The reason for the Great Hunkering Down was to gain enough time to get necessary health-care resources in place by flattening the curve of the coronavirus spread .
How @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
FEMA has 400 ventilators on hand to send to New York , where Gov .
Andrew Cuomo says he needs … thirty thousand .
Earlier today , Cuomo criticized the FEMA response and Trump for not using his authority under the Defense Production Act to churn out the machines faster : I ’ ll have more on the DPA authority later today , but we ’ re not even close to containing the spread in New York City , nor have we come close to putting the necessary resources in place for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus .
That will happen at some point , but we need to have the resource curve outpace the infection curve to stay ahead of a disease with an expected mortality rate of ten times that of normal influenza .
Trump cast doubt on the whole effort over the past week-plus , too : What ’ s it all about ?
That may be a question asked by people who followed the Trump administration ’ s own “ 15 Days to Flatten the Curve ” and employ social distancing to the point of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ following his instructions , those Americans may be a bit chagrined to see Trump questioning the wisdom of those moves at this point .
By the way , at the same time this town hall took place , this bad news from Italy arrived .
Looks like they ’ re not past the increase in deaths yet : It will be interesting to see what the message will be by the time Trump holds his presser this evening .
Will they stick with this deadline , or will we see a walkback when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s advisers ?
Let ’ s not forget , though , that governors control most of this process , including when businesses re-open .
They may not be anywhere near as sanguine about their preparations — and they ’ ll be a lot closer to the situation .
Update : Governors may have just gotten a lot more DPA leverage over Trump with this pledge .
“ If you want us to end our shelter-in-place orders , ” they ’ ll tell him , “ send us 25,000 ventilators and one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll use cut-out letters like a ransom note to do so .
Update : This remark preceded the town hall , but it ’ s still directly on point and from one of Trump ’ s highest-ranking House backers : Will Cheney have something to say about the Easter deadline ?

Breaking: Trump says aiming to reopen America by Easter; Update: Can't reopen until health care system is prepared, says ... Liz Cheney
As a Catholic, I certainly appreciate the symbolism. Will America be ready for its economic resurrection in less than three weeks? And what exactly did Donald Trump mean by “raring to go” by Easter?
Although Trump said he hopes to begin relaxing the government's social-distancing guidance by Easter, he did not say what directives the U.S. would release to bridge the 13-day gap between then and the end of the current "15 days to slow the spread" period https://t.co/0CJRREv9xw pic.twitter.com/s1o0zRf0BD — POLITICO (@politico) March 24, 2020
JUST IN: "I would love to have the country opened up and raring to go by Easter (April 12),” President Trump says on Fox News. — NBC News (@NBCNews) March 24, 2020
Needless to say, that’s a rather ambitious deadline for a disease where cases are doubling every three days in New York City. Just one caveat — that might not be the deadline by which Trump will recommend that businesses re-open. NBC’s Peter Alexander checked in at the White House, where he was told that Trump meant that the economy would be recovering by Easter:
Re: Easter timeline. A WH official tells me Trump does *not* see that as a date by which he begins opening things up, but when the economy is speeding again. That means the loosening of restrictions would, under this scenario, still start much sooner. — Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) March 24, 2020
Say what? Trump argued during the Fox News town hall that the crossover line between deadliness of the disease and the lethality of a crashed economy is coming quickly. At some point, we need to address the latter as a higher priority:
https://twitter.com/AaronBlake/status/1242508334865027072
True enough, but there are some conditions for that crossover. The reason for the Great Hunkering Down was to gain enough time to get necessary health-care resources in place by flattening the curve of the coronavirus spread. How are we doing on that so far? FEMA has 400 ventilators on hand to send to New York, where Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he needs … thirty thousand. Earlier today, Cuomo criticized the FEMA response and Trump for not using his authority under the Defense Production Act to churn out the machines faster:
NEW: NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo implores federal government to invoke Defense Production Act to produce ventilators, saying relying on private sector to do it on their own will take too long. "Not to exercise that power is inexplicable to me." https://t.co/PQM4joy0zd pic.twitter.com/0JCeCCm3N7 — ABC News (@ABC) March 24, 2020
I’ll have more on the DPA authority later today, but we’re not even close to containing the spread in New York City, nor have we come close to putting the necessary resources in place for the re-amplification of the spread of the virus. That will happen at some point, but we need to have the resource curve outpace the infection curve to stay ahead of a disease with an expected mortality rate of ten times that of normal influenza.
Trump cast doubt on the whole effort over the past week-plus, too:
Trump says 36,000 people die each year from the flu: "But we've never closed down the country for the flu. So you say to yourself, what is this all about?" — Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) March 24, 2020
What’s it all about? That may be a question asked by people who followed the Trump administration’s own “15 Days to Flatten the Curve” and employ social distancing to the point of shutting the doors to businesses. After following his instructions, those Americans may be a bit chagrined to see Trump questioning the wisdom of those moves at this point.
By the way, at the same time this town hall took place, this bad news from Italy arrived. Looks like they’re not past the increase in deaths yet:
Italy has reported an increase in deaths of coronavirus in the last 24 hours. Another 743 people have died as a result of coronavirus. At least 6,820 people have died in Italy so far. There are at least 69,176 confirmed case of coronavirus in the country. https://t.co/WrnyOrGWOw — CNN (@CNN) March 24, 2020
It will be interesting to see what the message will be by the time Trump holds his presser this evening. Will they stick with this deadline, or will we see a walkback when the implications of this sink in with Trump’s advisers?
Let’s not forget, though, that governors control most of this process, including when businesses re-open. They may not be anywhere near as sanguine about their preparations — and they’ll be a lot closer to the situation.
Update: Governors may have just gotten a lot more DPA leverage over Trump with this pledge. “If you want us to end our shelter-in-place orders,” they’ll tell him, “send us 25,000 ventilators and one million masks first.” Maybe they’ll use cut-out letters like a ransom note to do so.
Update: This remark preceded the town hall, but it’s still directly on point and from one of Trump’s highest-ranking House backers:
There will be no normally functioning economy if our hospitals are overwhelmed and thousands of Americans of all ages, including our doctors and nurses, lay dying because we have failed to do what’s necessary to stop the virus. https://t.co/AchwfXtuLi — Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) March 24, 2020
Will Cheney have something to say about the Easter deadline?