hotair--2020-03-29--Trump-bashing royals must ask him for special security help

The Trump-deranged power couple , Prince Harry and his American wife Meghan will have to swallow their pride and ask President Trump if they want help in securing strong security measures in the United States .
Will they ask for and receive special security , like Secret Service protection ?
The newly non-working royals , the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are living in California , having escaped Canada before being stuck there when it was announced the Canadian border with the U.S. would be closed and air travel limited .
They hopped aboard a private jet with baby Archie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be all along – Los Angeles , California .
Even though Harry and his wife aren ’ t actually fulfilling royal duties anymore , he is still a member of the royal family and that position requires special security measures to ensure his safety along with the safety of his wife and baby .
The Queen didn ’ t kick him out of the family circle , she just cut off his allowance .
Hello , Hollywood .
Time to put Meg back to work and cash in on some of those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if it ’ s good enough for Barack and Michelle , why not ?
When Harry and Meghan crossed the pond and landed in Canada after turning in their resignation at Buckingham Palace , Canadians caused a stink over being expected to foot the bill for the couple ’ s security .
Canadian taxpayers didn ’ t want to spring for the cost of providing security for them .
So , they left Canada before the March 31 cut-off date and are now facing the prospect of asking the State Department and President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new status , the U.S. is not obligated to pay for the protection .
The Megxit process will finally be complete on Tuesday when the couple will stand down as senior Royals .
A royal source said the pair ’ s stepping down removes any obligation on the US government to pay for their security .
The UK and US have a long standing reciprocal agreement when it comes to bodyguards protecting diplomats and members of the Royal family .
President Trump ’ s Secret Service agents would have been allowed to carry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likewise bodyguards for the Queen and Prince Charles when they made official trips to the US .
Harry and Meghan are no longer entitled to diplomatic immunity , either .
Harry is no longer classified as an international protected person after Megxit .
He ’ ll have to act like a law-abiding person like the rest of Californians .
I wonder what President Trump ’ s response will be if the couple asks for special protection .
Will he ok it though no doubt most Americans would be against anything that puts taxpayer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Given both Meghan ’ s and Harry ’ s Trump deranged remarks against Trump , it is a little bit of a sweet comeuppance that the conversation is even circulating in the press now .
Not only have they relocated to the United States after Meghan saying they wouldn ’ t as long as Trump is president , but now they might need his help .
‘ It will be down to Harry or his Met Police protection officers to ask for help , ’ they said .
‘ There is a reciprocal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officers to carry their weapons .
But Harry is no longer a serving royal and that is why his protection in Canada from the Mounties was withdrawn .
‘ Someone is going to have to ask the State Department , and ultimately the decision rests with Donald Trump , for assistance .
Harry can not live in the US without armed protection.
’ The U.K. could always foot the bill .
Some royal experts don ’ t expect Harry to turn to private security firms .
When the Daily Mail asked LAPD and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comment , neither responded .
Here ’ s a possible , though unlikely , twist – Harry can easily be granted residence in the U.S. because his wife is an American and he can even apply for an O-visa that would “ allow him to work and live in the country until the Green Card is approved.
” As the founder of the Invictus Games Harry could even apply for an O-visa that would allow him to work and live in the country until the Green Card is approved .
The visa category @ @ @ @ @ @ @ businessmen and each has to demonstrate an outstanding ability in their field .
As the Invictus Games for injured servicemen is known worldwide Harry could claim he meets the criteria for the visa that allows him residency for up to three years .
No matter if the couple gets extra security protection or apply for Harry to get a work visa , I have no doubt they will have little trouble in living their best lives in California , just like they planned all along .
UPDATE : And , just like that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is a response from President Trump : And a response from a Clinton-era Never Trumper :

The Trump-deranged power couple, Prince Harry and his American wife Meghan will have to swallow their pride and ask President Trump if they want help in securing strong security measures in the United States. Will they ask for and receive special security, like Secret Service protection?
The newly non-working royals, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are living in California, having escaped Canada before being stuck there when it was announced the Canadian border with the U.S. would be closed and air travel limited. They hopped aboard a private jet with baby Archie and flew to where they really wanted to be all along – Los Angeles, California.
Even though Harry and his wife aren’t actually fulfilling royal duties anymore, he is still a member of the royal family and that position requires special security measures to ensure his safety along with the safety of his wife and baby. The Queen didn’t kick him out of the family circle, she just cut off his allowance. Hello, Hollywood. Time to put Meg back to work and cash in on some of those sweet entertainment biz checks. Hey, if it’s good enough for Barack and Michelle, why not?
When Harry and Meghan crossed the pond and landed in Canada after turning in their resignation at Buckingham Palace, Canadians caused a stink over being expected to foot the bill for the couple’s security. Canadian taxpayers didn’t want to spring for the cost of providing security for them.
Canadian officials repeatedly said they would not pay for Meghan and Harry’s security when the Sussexes quit the UK and made the move to Canada. Their protection from the Canadian Royal Mounted Police outside their home in Vancouver was due to cease on the same day that their status as working members of the royal family ends on March 31.
So, they left Canada before the March 31 cut-off date and are now facing the prospect of asking the State Department and President Trump for protection. Due to their new status, the U.S. is not obligated to pay for the protection.
The Megxit process will finally be complete on Tuesday when the couple will stand down as senior Royals. A royal source said the pair’s stepping down removes any obligation on the US government to pay for their security. The UK and US have a long standing reciprocal agreement when it comes to bodyguards protecting diplomats and members of the Royal family. President Trump’s Secret Service agents would have been allowed to carry their weapons on his state visit and likewise bodyguards for the Queen and Prince Charles when they made official trips to the US.
Harry and Meghan are no longer entitled to diplomatic immunity, either. Harry is no longer classified as an international protected person after Megxit. He’ll have to act like a law-abiding person like the rest of Californians. I wonder what President Trump’s response will be if the couple asks for special protection. Will he ok it though no doubt most Americans would be against anything that puts taxpayer dollars on the hook for it? Given both Meghan’s and Harry’s Trump deranged remarks against Trump, it is a little bit of a sweet comeuppance that the conversation is even circulating in the press now. Not only have they relocated to the United States after Meghan saying they wouldn’t as long as Trump is president, but now they might need his help.
‘It will be down to Harry or his Met Police protection officers to ask for help,’ they said. ‘There is a reciprocal agreement between the US that allows protection officers to carry their weapons. But Harry is no longer a serving royal and that is why his protection in Canada from the Mounties was withdrawn. ‘Someone is going to have to ask the State Department, and ultimately the decision rests with Donald Trump, for assistance. Harry cannot live in the US without armed protection.’
The U.K. could always foot the bill. Some royal experts don’t expect Harry to turn to private security firms. When the Daily Mail asked LAPD and California Governor Newsom’s office for comment, neither responded.
Here’s a possible, though unlikely, twist – Harry can easily be granted residence in the U.S. because his wife is an American and he can even apply for an O-visa that would “allow him to work and live in the country until the Green Card is approved.”
As the founder of the Invictus Games Harry could even apply for an O-visa that would allow him to work and live in the country until the Green Card is approved. The visa category is used by sportsmen, actors and businessmen and each has to demonstrate an outstanding ability in their field. As the Invictus Games for injured servicemen is known worldwide Harry could claim he meets the criteria for the visa that allows him residency for up to three years.
No matter if the couple gets extra security protection or apply for Harry to get a work visa, I have no doubt they will have little trouble in living their best lives in California, just like they planned all along.
UPDATE: And, just like that, before this was even published, there is a response from President Trump:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1244338645198352386
And a response from a Clinton-era Never Trumper:


hotair--2020-03-29--<span class='red'>Trump: Easter out; Thirty more days of federal stay-at-home guidelines; Update: Ea

Trump: Easter out; Thirty more days of federal stay-at-home guidelines; Update: Easter was "aspirational"

America won ’ t get back to normal by Easter after all .
The federal government guidelines on social distancing and closure of non-essential business will get extended for another month , Donald Trump declared today , in order to keep fighting the coronavirus .
With the expected peak of deaths in hot spots still two weeks out , the battle won ’ t finish until the end of April — at least .
“ Nothing would be worse than declaring victory before the victory is won , ” Trump announced this afternoon .
“ That would be the greatest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is extending federal guidelines recommending people stay home and away from one another for another 30 days as the coronavirus continues to spread across the country .
Trump made the announcement during a Rose Garden briefing .
The guidelines , originally tagged as “ 15 days to slow the spread ” had been set to expire Monday .
What changed Trump ’ s mind about Easter ?
The data did , said Dr. Anthony Fauci .
After he and Dr. Deborah Birx presented him with the latest reports , presumably including Fauci ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Trump made the “ wise and prudent decision ” : “ Mitigation ” is what we ’ re doing now , Fauci states , and it ’ s working .
We can ’ t know by how much , he says , because we ’ re dealing with modeling in the absence of widespread testing .
The extension will give the CDC more time to marshal the private sector to provide that widespread testing , so the data will start improving markedly through the next 30 days .
Until then , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the federal guidelines will slow the transmission , which then slows the fatalities .
This takes pressure off of the governors who have ordered shelter-in-place policies , some only just recently .
Setting the Easter target date put a political target on the governors ’ backs if people started balking at the restrictions .
This gives them some breathing room , especially while they wait for ventilators and personal protective equipment to arrive in force to bolster their health-care providers .
The ventilators are probably a few weeks off at best , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might already be developing that will flatten the fatality curve , too .
Trump made sure to hail the individual effort made by Americans to get through this crisis .
There will likely need to be more and more such rallying language as the extension also extends the pessimism and gloom it will produce .
Note : This post has been edited and expanded since its first publication .
Update : A reporter asked whether discussing Easter as a goal was a mistake .
No , Trump said , it was “ aspirational @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make it a firm deadline : It ’ s fair to say it was framed aspirationally at the time , but it still might not have been a good idea to offer that specific of a time frame , even aspirationally .
This extension now seems even more like a letdown , although by how much is debatable .
Would we be all that much more disappointed in this news if Trump hadn ’ t mentioned Easter before ?
Doubtful .
Bear in mind , though , that April 30th might still be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s being a little more careful in expectation-setting :

America won’t get back to normal by Easter after all. The federal government guidelines on social distancing and closure of non-essential business will get extended for another month, Donald Trump declared today, in order to keep fighting the coronavirus. With the expected peak of deaths in hot spots still two weeks out, the battle won’t finish until the end of April — at least.
“Nothing would be worse than declaring victory before the victory is won,” Trump announced this afternoon. “That would be the greatest loss of all.”
President Trump: "The peak, the highest point of death rates…is likely to hit in two weeks." "Nothing would be worse than declaring victory before the victory is won. That would be the greatest loss of all." https://t.co/f8v3xLemaU pic.twitter.com/3WqhmocvRV — ABC News (@ABC) March 29, 2020
President Donald Trump is extending federal guidelines recommending people stay home and away from one another for another 30 days as the coronavirus continues to spread across the country. Trump made the announcement during a Rose Garden briefing. The guidelines, originally tagged as “15 days to slow the spread” had been set to expire Monday.
What changed Trump’s mind about Easter? The data did, said Dr. Anthony Fauci. After he and Dr. Deborah Birx presented him with the latest reports, presumably including Fauci’s new projection of 100,000-200,000 American deaths, Trump made the “wise and prudent decision”:
Dr. Anthony Fauci: "The decision to…extend this mitigation process until the end of April I think was a wise and prudent decision." https://t.co/4KKPWRgOyU pic.twitter.com/UYy5WRlcPb — ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) March 29, 2020
“Mitigation” is what we’re doing now, Fauci states, and it’s working. We can’t know by how much, he says, because we’re dealing with modeling in the absence of widespread testing. The extension will give the CDC more time to marshal the private sector to provide that widespread testing, so the data will start improving markedly through the next 30 days. Until then, we do know that the mitigation provided by the federal guidelines will slow the transmission, which then slows the fatalities.
This takes pressure off of the governors who have ordered shelter-in-place policies, some only just recently. Setting the Easter target date put a political target on the governors’ backs if people started balking at the restrictions. This gives them some breathing room, especially while they wait for ventilators and personal protective equipment to arrive in force to bolster their health-care providers. The ventilators are probably a few weeks off at best, but there is some hope that effective treatments might already be developing that will flatten the fatality curve, too.
Trump made sure to hail the individual effort made by Americans to get through this crisis. There will likely need to be more and more such rallying language as the extension also extends the pessimism and gloom it will produce.
Pres. Trump: “I want the American people to know that your selfless, inspiring and valiant efforts are saving countless lives. You are making the difference.” https://t.co/er9ZCtlAkB pic.twitter.com/qSpHTdBXGv — CBS News (@CBSNews) March 29, 2020
Note: This post has been edited and expanded since its first publication.
Update: A reporter asked whether discussing Easter as a goal was a mistake. No, Trump said, it was “aspirational,” but he didn’t make it a firm deadline:
When asked if previously suggesting he wanted America “back open by easter” was a mistake, Pres. Trump said on Sunday, “No, that was aspirational.” https://t.co/er9ZCtlAkB pic.twitter.com/Vs9ZUf3rbI — CBS News (@CBSNews) March 29, 2020
It’s fair to say it was framed aspirationally at the time, but it still might not have been a good idea to offer that specific of a time frame, even aspirationally. This extension now seems even more like a letdown, although by how much is debatable. Would we be all that much more disappointed in this news if Trump hadn’t mentioned Easter before? Doubtful.
Bear in mind, though, that April 30th might still be aspirational, too. This time, Trump’s being a little more careful in expectation-setting:


hotair--2020-03-29--Baltimore's population drops to levels not seen since the Great Depression

The 2020 census is underway and one place that ’ s paying particularly close attention to the process is the city of Baltimore , Maryland .
They really need to make sure they count every last denizen of Charm City because they are steadily bleeding off their population ( both literally and figuratively ) to the point where the problem is too great to ignore .
They just finished their initial census estimate and it turns out that the population has dropped below 600,000 for the first time in more than one hundred years .
And the fewer people they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are eligible for .
( CBS Baltimore ) Estimated population figures from the U.S. Census show Baltimore ’ s count dips below 600,000 residents for the first time in more than a century .
Baltimore Mayor Jack Young said the Baltimore Census Complete Count Committee met virtually Thursday morning to strategize on how to make sure every Baltimore resident is counted .
“ I have made boosting Baltimore ’ s completion rate for the 2020 Census a top priority for my administration .
We can ’ t afford to undercount our population , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He noted how federal funding tied to Census numbers help feed vulnerable children and seniors across the city .
This is a continuation of a historic trend .
In 1950 , Baltimore was America ’ s sixth-largest city with a population of nearly one million .
But it ’ s been all downhill from there .
It ’ s now the 30th largest city in the country .
The reasons for this state of affairs stem from a couple of factors , all of which should be obvious to anyone who follows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s one of the smaller components , it doesn ’ t help that so many people are being murdered every year .
When you have hundreds of people dying each year who otherwise wouldn ’ t have expired due to natural causes , that offsets hundreds of new births .
But the biggest reason for the rapid decline is that people are moving away and not coming back .
Between July of 2018 and July of 2019 , Baltimore lost 7,300 residents .
That ’ s slightly more than one percent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year .
And that ’ s been going on for quite a few years .
The reasons all of these people have for leaving could be debated all day long .
Put a list of all the normal drivers that attract people to a given area , throw a dart at it , and you ’ ll hit a category where Baltimore is failing .
Virtually all of the factories are gone , so good jobs are few and far between .
The infrastructure is crumbling and the city is littered with vacant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ properties that are collapsing .
The schools consistently fail to meet state and federal guidelines for success .
And the police remain completely overwhelmed by a plague of gang violence that drives the aforementioned murder rate skyward and guts the quality of life .
It also doesn ’ t help that the city government is better known for corruption and theft than for any sort of leadership .
Prior to current interim Mayor Jack Young , two of the last three mayors left office on their way to jail .
The other retired @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the city has literally burned to the ground under her watch .
All of the self-dealing going on has lined the pockets of elected officials and their friends more than it ’ s gone to help the residents .
With all of those cards stacked against Baltimore , is it really any surprise that the population is fleeing ?
But as long as they keep electing the same bunch of liberal Democrats and keep sending them back to office year after year , nothing is likely to change .
And that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thriving , beautiful city with so much to offer .

The 2020 census is underway and one place that’s paying particularly close attention to the process is the city of Baltimore, Maryland. They really need to make sure they count every last denizen of Charm City because they are steadily bleeding off their population (both literally and figuratively) to the point where the problem is too great to ignore. They just finished their initial census estimate and it turns out that the population has dropped below 600,000 for the first time in more than one hundred years. And the fewer people they count, the fewer federal dollars they are eligible for. (CBS Baltimore)
Estimated population figures from the U.S. Census show Baltimore’s count dips below 600,000 residents for the first time in more than a century. Baltimore Mayor Jack Young said the Baltimore Census Complete Count Committee met virtually Thursday morning to strategize on how to make sure every Baltimore resident is counted. “I have made boosting Baltimore’s completion rate for the 2020 Census a top priority for my administration. We can’t afford to undercount our population,” the mayor said in a statement. He noted how federal funding tied to Census numbers help feed vulnerable children and seniors across the city.
This is a continuation of a historic trend. In 1950, Baltimore was America’s sixth-largest city with a population of nearly one million. But it’s been all downhill from there. It’s now the 30th largest city in the country.
The reasons for this state of affairs stem from a couple of factors, all of which should be obvious to anyone who follows the news from that region. While it’s one of the smaller components, it doesn’t help that so many people are being murdered every year. When you have hundreds of people dying each year who otherwise wouldn’t have expired due to natural causes, that offsets hundreds of new births.
But the biggest reason for the rapid decline is that people are moving away and not coming back. Between July of 2018 and July of 2019, Baltimore lost 7,300 residents. That’s slightly more than one percent of the total population in a single year. And that’s been going on for quite a few years. The reasons all of these people have for leaving could be debated all day long. Put a list of all the normal drivers that attract people to a given area, throw a dart at it, and you’ll hit a category where Baltimore is failing.
Virtually all of the factories are gone, so good jobs are few and far between. The infrastructure is crumbling and the city is littered with vacant lots and more than 16,000 uninhabitable residential properties that are collapsing. The schools consistently fail to meet state and federal guidelines for success. And the police remain completely overwhelmed by a plague of gang violence that drives the aforementioned murder rate skyward and guts the quality of life.
It also doesn’t help that the city government is better known for corruption and theft than for any sort of leadership. Prior to current interim Mayor Jack Young, two of the last three mayors left office on their way to jail. The other retired without seeking a second full term because the city has literally burned to the ground under her watch. All of the self-dealing going on has lined the pockets of elected officials and their friends more than it’s gone to help the residents.
With all of those cards stacked against Baltimore, is it really any surprise that the population is fleeing? But as long as they keep electing the same bunch of liberal Democrats and keep sending them back to office year after year, nothing is likely to change. And that’s a shame because Baltimore was once a thriving, beautiful city with so much to offer.


hotair--2020-03-29--De Blasio on his terrible coronavirus response: I don't think we should be looking backward right no

De Blasio on his terrible coronavirus response: I don't think we should be looking backward right now

When the history of the outbreak is written , it ’ s possible that no one will take more of a beating than this guy .
Trump will be savaged , but Trump has a hyper-loyal base that will fight tooth and nail against any attempt to blame him .
Ron DeSantis will be savaged too , but DeSantis has the good fortune to be able to hide behind a president from his own party to some extent .
De Blasio has no one to cover for him .
Righties loathe him , lefties find him tone-deaf and embarrassing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ his home state by a higher official from the same party who ’ s been praised for his response to the crisis .
He suffers from the contrast with Cuomo , not just his own ineptness .
I can ’ t think of a Democrat in a key role who ’ s performed worse over the past six weeks than he has .
No wonder Trump ’ s campaign and the RNC are so eager to highlight his failures .
If nothing else , they ’ re a useful way to change the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response .
Jake Tapper played him a lowlight reel of his own soundbites this morning on CNN and all de Blasio could do is say that ’ s what done is done and we should look ahead — but not before flagging the administration ’ s screw-ups in rolling out testing in a timely way in February .
He ’ s right that testing was the central failure in this nightmare but it ’ s an open question as to how soon de Blasio would have acted to start shutting down schools and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better information last month .
His aides reportedly had no difficulty grasping the threat to NYC despite the fact that they lacked the same hard data from testing .
This is from a Times story published on March 16 , just five days after de Blasio told New Yorkers “ to not avoid restaurants , not avoid normal things that people do… If you ’ re not sick , you should be going about your life ” : There had been arguments and shouting matches between the mayor and some of his advisers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threatened to resign if he refused to accept the need to close schools and businesses , according to several people familiar with the internal discussions .
Teachers were threatening not to show up to school on Monday .
A growing number of public health experts and politicians were calling for much of the city to be shut down to curb the spread of the virus… “ We all realized from the public health outcomes and political reality this needed to happen , ” said a person familiar with the mayor ’ s deliberations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ He just had to process it himself.
” “ He doesn ’ t trust experts in the field until he has processed it himself , ” said a source trying to explain de Blasio ’ s dithering , which sounds Trumpy .
There ’ s Trumpiness too in the mixed messages he and his team sent at various points early in the crisis : Shortly thereafter , he declined to cancel St. Patrick ’ s Day parade and then did .
He resisted calls to cancel regular street sweeping and then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a 311 call center , where he told a caller who had just returned from Italy that she did not need to self-quarantine , advice that forced 311 to actually call the woman back and tell her to stay inside for 14 days .
The mayor touted the city ’ s new , wide-scale testing capacity , only to have his Health Department announce that only hospitalized patients should be tested .
He tweeted at Elon Musk to supply the city with ventilators .
When a New York Times reporter wrote of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and being unable to get help , a top mayoral aide chastised him online for seeking help at all rather than just getting better at home .
And the mayor himself told a radio host that people who don ’ t display symptoms can ’ t transmit the disease , an assertion that contradicts information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention… “ It has been just a constant struggle to get the mayor to take action , ” said a City Council member , one of nearly a dozen lawmakers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advisers interviewed for this story .
“ I get it — he is concerned about the economic well-being of the city , he doesn ’ t want to overreach , but he is doing this thing he does where the more people tell him he is wrong , the more he is convinced he is the only one who has the right answer.
” Extremely Trumpy , right down to some of de Blasio ’ s aides fearing that his response was complicated by the fact that he was “ keeping an eye @ @ @ @ @ @ @ key difference between Trump and de Blasio is that Trump ’ s national ambitions are realistic . )
De Blasio also suffers from a problem Trump would never be accused of : He ’ s a micromanager , reportedly driving his aides batty by focusing too much on public communications instead of the sort of broad leadership strokes for which Cuomo has been celebrated .
And yet , some of his most notorious failings have involved public communications .
I ’ ve thought of this several times over the last two weeks : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pub crawl before everything shut down was the worst advice he could have given .
Time was of the essence in suppressing physical contact between New Yorkers ; egging them on to have one last hurrah was basically egging them on to spread the disease just a little bit further before hunkering down .
Did he just … not grasp the situation ?
His most notorious PR fiasco was a visit to his favorite gym in Brooklyn to say farewell the morning after New Yorkers were told to avoid unnecessary travel .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as yesterday : Why the hell did he travel to another borough to take a walk when average joes can ’ t go anywhere ?
Does he not understand how this looks to people ?
Does he not care ?
The irony of his comment to Tapper about looking ahead , not back , is that he ’ s been only too eager to point out the Trump administration ’ s failings in his public appearances over the last six weeks .
He , Trump , and even DeSantis are now involved in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each tries to scapegoat the other for their own failings .
Trump ’ s brief interest yesterday in a cordon sanitaire around the New York metro area ( and the RNC ’ s interest in this morning ’ s de Blasio clip ) is probably an early inkling of a “ blame the blue states , not me ” messaging strategy for the fall as the virus engulfs the country .
DeSantis was playing a similar game earlier this week when he demanded 14 days of self-quarantine for anyone traveling from the NYC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got around to adding Louisiana to that list .
The more Floridians are focused on out-of-state visitors seeding outbreaks in their home state , the less focused they are on DeSantis ’ s decision not to shut down the petri dish on Florida ’ s beaches during spring break earlier this month .
Meanwhile , de Blasio will spend the rest of the spring , if not the year , complaining that everything would have been different in NYC if only Trump had knocked out an effective testing regime earlier .
The political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rest of our lifetimes .
Read Jim Geraghty ’ s timeline for an exhaustive account of de Blasio ’ s complacency since January .
Or , if you don ’ t have time , just read this .
Not even four weeks ago .
Exit quotation :

When the history of the outbreak is written, it’s possible that no one will take more of a beating than this guy. Trump will be savaged, but Trump has a hyper-loyal base that will fight tooth and nail against any attempt to blame him. Ron DeSantis will be savaged too, but DeSantis has the good fortune to be able to hide behind a president from his own party to some extent.
De Blasio has no one to cover for him. Righties loathe him, lefties find him tone-deaf and embarrassing. Worse, he’s overshadowed in his home state by a higher official from the same party who’s been praised for his response to the crisis. He suffers from the contrast with Cuomo, not just his own ineptness. I can’t think of a Democrat in a key role who’s performed worse over the past six weeks than he has. No wonder Trump’s campaign and the RNC are so eager to highlight his failures. If nothing else, they’re a useful way to change the subject from the Trump administration’s response.
Jake Tapper played him a lowlight reel of his own soundbites this morning on CNN and all de Blasio could do is say that’s what done is done and we should look ahead — but not before flagging the administration’s screw-ups in rolling out testing in a timely way in February.
For weeks, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio urged New Yorkers to "go about their lives." About his past comments, de Blasio now says "we should not be focusing, in my view, on anything looking back on any level of government right now" #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/7fZZOHoPBS — CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) March 29, 2020
He’s right that testing was the central failure in this nightmare but it’s an open question as to how soon de Blasio would have acted to start shutting down schools and closing businesses if he’d had better information last month. His aides reportedly had no difficulty grasping the threat to NYC despite the fact that they lacked the same hard data from testing. This is from a Times story published on March 16, just five days after de Blasio told New Yorkers “to not avoid restaurants, not avoid normal things that people do… If you’re not sick, you should be going about your life”:
There had been arguments and shouting matches between the mayor and some of his advisers; some top health officials had even threatened to resign if he refused to accept the need to close schools and businesses, according to several people familiar with the internal discussions. Teachers were threatening not to show up to school on Monday. A growing number of public health experts and politicians were calling for much of the city to be shut down to curb the spread of the virus… “We all realized from the public health outcomes and political reality this needed to happen,” said a person familiar with the mayor’s deliberations who spoke under the condition of anonymity. “He just had to process it himself.”
“He doesn’t trust experts in the field until he has processed it himself,” said a source trying to explain de Blasio’s dithering, which sounds Trumpy. There’s Trumpiness too in the mixed messages he and his team sent at various points early in the crisis:
Shortly thereafter, he declined to cancel St. Patrick’s Day parade and then did. He resisted calls to cancel regular street sweeping and then did. He had a photo op at a 311 call center, where he told a caller who had just returned from Italy that she did not need to self-quarantine, advice that forced 311 to actually call the woman back and tell her to stay inside for 14 days. The mayor touted the city’s new, wide-scale testing capacity, only to have his Health Department announce that only hospitalized patients should be tested. He tweeted at Elon Musk to supply the city with ventilators. When a New York Times reporter wrote of his own gut-wrenching story about contracting COVID-19 and being unable to get help, a top mayoral aide chastised him online for seeking help at all rather than just getting better at home. And the mayor himself told a radio host that people who don’t display symptoms can’t transmit the disease, an assertion that contradicts information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention… “It has been just a constant struggle to get the mayor to take action,” said a City Council member, one of nearly a dozen lawmakers, senior government officials, and de Blasio advisers interviewed for this story. “I get it — he is concerned about the economic well-being of the city, he doesn’t want to overreach, but he is doing this thing he does where the more people tell him he is wrong, the more he is convinced he is the only one who has the right answer.”
Extremely Trumpy, right down to some of de Blasio’s aides fearing that his response was complicated by the fact that he was “keeping an eye on his national ambitions.” (A key difference between Trump and de Blasio is that Trump’s national ambitions are realistic.) De Blasio also suffers from a problem Trump would never be accused of: He’s a micromanager, reportedly driving his aides batty by focusing too much on public communications instead of the sort of broad leadership strokes for which Cuomo has been celebrated. And yet, some of his most notorious failings have involved public communications. I’ve thought of this several times over the last two weeks:
“If you love your neighborhood bar, go there now.” @NYCMayor – adding that you should do so “briefly” and with “social distancing” but his implication is ALL nyc bars could be shut down. “Everything is on the table.” #nbc4ny pic.twitter.com/PtLsE0eZ29 — Andrew Siff (@andrewsiff4NY) March 15, 2020
Encouraging people to squeeze in one last pub crawl before everything shut down was the worst advice he could have given. Time was of the essence in suppressing physical contact between New Yorkers; egging them on to have one last hurrah was basically egging them on to spread the disease just a little bit further before hunkering down. Did he just … not grasp the situation?
His most notorious PR fiasco was a visit to his favorite gym in Brooklyn to say farewell the morning after New Yorkers were told to avoid unnecessary travel. But he was at it again as recently as yesterday:
the mayoral mansion Bill de Blasio lives in is literally next to a park in Manhattan, but made his way to Brooklyn to take a walk around: https://t.co/Tij2wsBdbb — Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) March 28, 2020
Why the hell did he travel to another borough to take a walk when average joes can’t go anywhere? Does he not understand how this looks to people? Does he not care?
The irony of his comment to Tapper about looking ahead, not back, is that he’s been only too eager to point out the Trump administration’s failings in his public appearances over the last six weeks. He, Trump, and even DeSantis are now involved in a high-stakes game of pass-the-buck in which each tries to scapegoat the other for their own failings. Trump’s brief interest yesterday in a cordon sanitaire around the New York metro area (and the RNC’s interest in this morning’s de Blasio clip) is probably an early inkling of a “blame the blue states, not me” messaging strategy for the fall as the virus engulfs the country. DeSantis was playing a similar game earlier this week when he demanded 14 days of self-quarantine for anyone traveling from the NYC tri-state area, although on Friday he got around to adding Louisiana to that list. The more Floridians are focused on out-of-state visitors seeding outbreaks in their home state, the less focused they are on DeSantis’s decision not to shut down the petri dish on Florida’s beaches during spring break earlier this month. Meanwhile, de Blasio will spend the rest of the spring, if not the year, complaining that everything would have been different in NYC if only Trump had knocked out an effective testing regime earlier. The political recriminations from this epidemic will last the rest of our lifetimes.
Read Jim Geraghty’s timeline for an exhaustive account of de Blasio’s complacency since January. Or, if you don’t have time, just read this. Not even four weeks ago. Exit quotation:


hotair--2020-03-29--The Hamptons is seeking a travel ban... from NYC

Yesterday we discussed the fact that the Governor of Rhode Island had sought legal advice as to whether or not she could close the borders of her state to people arriving from New York City , effectively instituting a travel ban on people who live in or had visited Gotham .
That turned out not to be possible because of pesky constitutional considerations .
But what if a governor wanted to set up such a ban inside of their own state ?
That ’ s a question that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo may have to deal with this week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Rhode Island and Connecticut who are upset about a flood of Big Apple residents invading their neighborhoods .
Out on Long Island , residents of the tony coastal region known as the Hamptons are equally bothered .
They don ’ t need a bunch of potentially contagious city slickers coming by and getting everyone sick down at the yacht club .
( NY Post ) The Hamptons are so over-run with wealthy New Yorkers panic-buying food and stretching medical supplies that local leaders are now asking Gov .
Andrew Cuomo to issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The move comes after Dr. Deborah Birx , of the White House coronavirus response team , said at a press conference this week with President Donald Trump that cases of the virus were spreading from New York City with people trying to flee the epicenter of the virus .
Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said , “ A new trend is taking place that puts our residents at further risk — people seeking refuge from the metropolitan areas .
It is simple math : the more people that come , the greater the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” What the local government leaders in the Hamptons are really asking for is a ban on all “ non-urgent ” travel out of the city heading east for people who don ’ t own summer homes there and a quarantine order for those coming from the city who do .
Neither of these seems practical from a legal standpoint , because of the assumption of freedom of movement for citizens .
It ’ s even more problematic when you consider that they ’ re asking for the quarantine order to only be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the town .
The law must be applied evenly to all , at least in more normal times .
I ’ m not without sympathy for the complaints being made by the residents of the Hamptons .
They plan ahead for a lot of vacation traffic during the summer , with the stores stocking up on everything the vacationers might desire and local government resources staffing up to handle the extra traffic .
In the winter , most of those summer homes sit empty and far fewer resources are needed .
At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cleaning the shelves of the stores of almost everything , particularly gourmet food items .
One store owner is quoted as saying that a couple came into his place and left with five shopping carts full of goodies costing over $ 8,000 .
In some ways , you could look at this as a boon for local businesses , and I ’ m sure it will be .
But local residents are finding it hard to get the food and other supplies they need .
Of even greater concern is the medical care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is tiny in comparison to the major medical centers in New York City .
They ’ re ready to handle the normal medical needs of the local community and the occasional boating accident during the summer rush , but they are in no way set up for the potential of hundreds of critically ill COVID-19 patients requiring ICU level care and 24/7 ventilators .
But what can be done ?
Particularly in the case of all the Big Apple residents who own vacation homes in the Hamptons , you can ’ t just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t show up and occupy their own property .
Even the ones who are renting homes are entitled to come if they ’ ve found a landlord willing to lease out their property .
I somehow doubt that they ’ re going to find a willing partner in Governor Cuomo in terms of securing an actual travel ban from the five boroughs to the Hamptons .
In the meantime , they ’ ll just need to boost the supply chains and get things stocked up as if it were already summer .

Yesterday we discussed the fact that the Governor of Rhode Island had sought legal advice as to whether or not she could close the borders of her state to people arriving from New York City, effectively instituting a travel ban on people who live in or had visited Gotham. That turned out not to be possible because of pesky constitutional considerations. But what if a governor wanted to set up such a ban inside of their own state?
That’s a question that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo may have to deal with this week. It’s not just people in Rhode Island and Connecticut who are upset about a flood of Big Apple residents invading their neighborhoods. Out on Long Island, residents of the tony coastal region known as the Hamptons are equally bothered. They don’t need a bunch of potentially contagious city slickers coming by and getting everyone sick down at the yacht club. (NY Post)
The Hamptons are so over-run with wealthy New Yorkers panic-buying food and stretching medical supplies that local leaders are now asking Gov. Andrew Cuomo to issue a travel ban from the city. The move comes after Dr. Deborah Birx, of the White House coronavirus response team, said at a press conference this week with President Donald Trump that cases of the virus were spreading from New York City with people trying to flee the epicenter of the virus. Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said, “A new trend is taking place that puts our residents at further risk — people seeking refuge from the metropolitan areas. It is simple math: the more people that come, the greater the spread and the greater the confirmed cases.”
What the local government leaders in the Hamptons are really asking for is a ban on all “non-urgent” travel out of the city heading east for people who don’t own summer homes there and a quarantine order for those coming from the city who do. Neither of these seems practical from a legal standpoint, because of the assumption of freedom of movement for citizens. It’s even more problematic when you consider that they’re asking for the quarantine order to only be applied to certain individuals rather than everyone in the town. The law must be applied evenly to all, at least in more normal times.
I’m not without sympathy for the complaints being made by the residents of the Hamptons. They plan ahead for a lot of vacation traffic during the summer, with the stores stocking up on everything the vacationers might desire and local government resources staffing up to handle the extra traffic. In the winter, most of those summer homes sit empty and far fewer resources are needed.
At the moment, the unexpected guests are cleaning the shelves of the stores of almost everything, particularly gourmet food items. One store owner is quoted as saying that a couple came into his place and left with five shopping carts full of goodies costing over $8,000. In some ways, you could look at this as a boon for local businesses, and I’m sure it will be. But local residents are finding it hard to get the food and other supplies they need.
Of even greater concern is the medical care situation. The closest hospital out there is tiny in comparison to the major medical centers in New York City. They’re ready to handle the normal medical needs of the local community and the occasional boating accident during the summer rush, but they are in no way set up for the potential of hundreds of critically ill COVID-19 patients requiring ICU level care and 24/7 ventilators.
But what can be done? Particularly in the case of all the Big Apple residents who own vacation homes in the Hamptons, you can’t just tell those people that they can’t show up and occupy their own property. Even the ones who are renting homes are entitled to come if they’ve found a landlord willing to lease out their property. I somehow doubt that they’re going to find a willing partner in Governor Cuomo in terms of securing an actual travel ban from the five boroughs to the Hamptons. In the meantime, they’ll just need to boost the supply chains and get things stocked up as if it were already summer.


hotair--2020-03-29--The Intercept: Pence must invoke the 25th Amendment now

It ’ s never happened in the history of the United States but a British political journalist thinks now would be a swell time for Vice-President Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment .
As a matter of fact , he is demanding that Pence act right now because President Trump isn ’ t mentally capable of leading us through the coronavirus pandemic crisis .
In an open letter to Vice-President Pence , Mehdi Hasan writes in The Intercept that the 25th Amendment must be invoked and points to the relevant wording : “ Whenever the Vice President and a majority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide , transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office , the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.
” The very first example or reason Hasan uses as justification for such an outlandish demand , though , is all about President Trump ’ s treatment of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around this president and Hasan is no different , apparently .
He uses the dust-up between Trump and NBC White House correspondent Peter Alexander as proof that Trump has lost his mind .
Many of us who watched the verbal exchange between the two men saw nothing that Trump hasn ’ t done in the past – when he thinks a journalist is more interested in criticizing him instead of asking a legit question , he lashes out at the reporter .
In this case , Pence answered the question in more emotionally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reminds Pence of that .
What is it with journalists right now during a coronavirus pandemic who are taking it upon themselves to personally ask powerful people to do their bidding ?
Jazz wrote about another Never Trump journalist who took it upon herself to beg former presidents G.W .
Bush and Barack Obama to step in and “ outline a national plan of action ” and then insist that Trump follow that plan .
Who exactly is the one with the diminished mental capacity ?
It sure looks like its the Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ ve said it before and I ’ ll say it again – Trump broke a lot of people when he was inaugurated .
He continues to do so as he serves in office .
The dumbest criticism , though , if you ask me , is the kind that is based on hurt feelings and not actual actions .
This open letter is a return to the same call for the implementation of the 25th Amendment that some in the mental health business promoted earlier in Trump ’ s presidency .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of air time to some pretty out-there mental health professionals who were willing to diagnose the president through a camera lens , never having even met the man ?
It was ridiculous and dangerously unprofessional .
Hasan even references one such character .
Hasan isn ’ t a fan of Mike Pence , either .
He despises him , clearly , almost as much as he does Trump .
He calls Pence a sycophant , a coward and bashes his “ far-right politics ” .
It ’ s just that Pence is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He characterizes Trump ’ s actions during this crisis so far and it is straight out of the unhinged left ’ s playbook of talking points .
He should be on the payroll of the DNC , or maybe the Sanders campaign .
This is a president who rambles , rants , and raves ; who spent weeks downplaying the spread of the novel coronavirus and ignoring warnings from his own intelligence agencies ; who claimed to be unaware that Americans who need tests are unable to get them ; who uses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but to regularly attack the press ; who went golfing while health professionals begged for resources and equipment ; who has repeatedly contradicted his own top scientists by pushing unproven drugs as a treatment for Covid-19 ; who tried to buy a vaccine from Germany but only for “ exclusive ” use in the United States ; who took a break from crisis management to go on Twitter and complain about Hillary Clinton ’ s emails and Benghazi .
How is this behavior not utterly unhinged ?
How does it not justify you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the American people , who are being infected by Covid-19 in rapidly increasing numbers ?
There is a clear timeline of the response to the coronavirus crisis on Trump ’ s campaign website .
It ’ s fair to say that some actions could have been taken quicker or that the CDC should have been better prepared or that the president probably shouldn ’ t have done so much happy talk to keep the public calm but hindsight is 20/20 and there is no time now to waste on petty partisan politics .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ since he ’ s a British citizen , he ’ s not voting in the election anyway .
( Bernie Sanders was his first guest when he launched his podcast . )
To think that the 25th Amendment is applicable is off the charts .
The single most important ( and controversial ) action that Trump took was to shut down air travel from China .
Dr. Fauci made that recommendation early on and Trump did it .
He takes advice from his team of experts .
Democrats are trying their best to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on cable network news channels to do so .
Trump ’ s polling numbers continue to go up and Democrats are nervous .
They would rather that the Trump administration botch the response to a pandemic than to root for a quick , competent recovery .
Bernie Sanders is tweeting out what he thinks is the country ’ s need for Medicare for All and Joe Biden is tweeting out his plan , which isn ’ t a plan at all but a bunch of words meant to sound as though it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting the reception his campaign thought they would , though .
Everything Joe suggests is already being done by the Trump administration .
Never Trump journalists continue to show why Trump comes down hard on them when they go off on him .
It ’ d be nice while we are all just trying to get through this medical and economic crisis if journalists would stick to reporting facts and skip their selfish personal pleadings with prominent public figures for a while .

It’s never happened in the history of the United States but a British political journalist thinks now would be a swell time for Vice-President Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment. As a matter of fact, he is demanding that Pence act right now because President Trump isn’t mentally capable of leading us through the coronavirus pandemic crisis.
In an open letter to Vice-President Pence, Mehdi Hasan writes in The Intercept that the 25th Amendment must be invoked and points to the relevant wording: “Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.”
The very first example or reason Hasan uses as justification for such an outlandish demand, though, is all about President Trump’s treatment of journalists. Journalists suffer from thin skin around this president and Hasan is no different, apparently. He uses the dust-up between Trump and NBC White House correspondent Peter Alexander as proof that Trump has lost his mind. Many of us who watched the verbal exchange between the two men saw nothing that Trump hasn’t done in the past – when he thinks a journalist is more interested in criticizing him instead of asking a legit question, he lashes out at the reporter. In this case, Pence answered the question in more emotionally compassionate words than did Trump so Hasan reminds Pence of that.
What is it with journalists right now during a coronavirus pandemic who are taking it upon themselves to personally ask powerful people to do their bidding? Jazz wrote about another Never Trump journalist who took it upon herself to beg former presidents G.W. Bush and Barack Obama to step in and “outline a national plan of action” and then insist that Trump follow that plan. Who exactly is the one with the diminished mental capacity? It sure looks like its the Trump deranged journalists, not the president.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Trump broke a lot of people when he was inaugurated. He continues to do so as he serves in office. The dumbest criticism, though, if you ask me, is the kind that is based on hurt feelings and not actual actions. This open letter is a return to the same call for the implementation of the 25th Amendment that some in the mental health business promoted earlier in Trump’s presidency. Remember when CNN and MSNBC gave lots of air time to some pretty out-there mental health professionals who were willing to diagnose the president through a camera lens, never having even met the man? It was ridiculous and dangerously unprofessional. Hasan even references one such character.
Hasan isn’t a fan of Mike Pence, either. He despises him, clearly, almost as much as he does Trump. He calls Pence a sycophant, a coward and bashes his “far-right politics”. It’s just that Pence is the lesser of two evils in this case. He characterizes Trump’s actions during this crisis so far and it is straight out of the unhinged left’s playbook of talking points. He should be on the payroll of the DNC, or maybe the Sanders campaign.
This is a president who rambles, rants, and raves; who spent weeks downplaying the spread of the novel coronavirus and ignoring warnings from his own intelligence agencies; who claimed to be unaware that Americans who need tests are unable to get them; who uses press briefings not to inform the public but to regularly attack the press; who went golfing while health professionals begged for resources and equipment; who has repeatedly contradicted his own top scientists by pushing unproven drugs as a treatment for Covid-19; who tried to buy a vaccine from Germany but only for “exclusive” use in the United States; who took a break from crisis management to go on Twitter and complain about Hillary Clinton’s emails and Benghazi. How is this behavior not utterly unhinged? How does it not justify you invoking the 25th Amendment on behalf of the American people, who are being infected by Covid-19 in rapidly increasing numbers?
There is a clear timeline of the response to the coronavirus crisis on Trump’s campaign website. It’s fair to say that some actions could have been taken quicker or that the CDC should have been better prepared or that the president probably shouldn’t have done so much happy talk to keep the public calm but hindsight is 20/20 and there is no time now to waste on petty partisan politics. Hasan sounds like a Bernie Bro but since he’s a British citizen, he’s not voting in the election anyway. (Bernie Sanders was his first guest when he launched his podcast.) To think that the 25th Amendment is applicable is off the charts.
The single most important (and controversial) action that Trump took was to shut down air travel from China. Dr. Fauci made that recommendation early on and Trump did it. He takes advice from his team of experts. Democrats are trying their best to play politics and are given air time on cable network news channels to do so. Trump’s polling numbers continue to go up and Democrats are nervous. They would rather that the Trump administration botch the response to a pandemic than to root for a quick, competent recovery. Bernie Sanders is tweeting out what he thinks is the country’s need for Medicare for All and Joe Biden is tweeting out his plan, which isn’t a plan at all but a bunch of words meant to sound as though it is. Biden’s tweets are not getting the reception his campaign thought they would, though. Everything Joe suggests is already being done by the Trump administration.
If I were President, here's what I would do right now: – Use all available authorities to turn the tide on this epidemic
– Launch a task force to ensure money rapidly gets to people who need it
– Bring leaders of Congress together to build the next deal https://t.co/F14kf8MRUF — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) March 26, 2020
people with chronic Democratic Campaign Brain truly don't get that this sort of weightless rhetoric is only reassuring to people who already have a Biden bumper sticker https://t.co/yfuig3vhkg — 'Weird Alex' Pareene (@pareene) March 27, 2020
none of this means anything at all https://t.co/NL2b4rZ2IM — 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐔𝐁𝐄 . 𝐂𝐎𝐌 / 𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑 (@petercoffin) March 27, 2020
Go back to sleep, Joe.
Never Trump journalists continue to show why Trump comes down hard on them when they go off on him. It’d be nice while we are all just trying to get through this medical and economic crisis if journalists would stick to reporting facts and skip their selfish personal pleadings with prominent public figures for a while.


hotair--2020-03-29--From death into life: Sunday reflection

From death into life: Sunday reflection

Now a man was ill , Lazarus from Bethany , the village of Mary and her sister Martha .
Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair ; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill .
So the sisters sent word to Jesus saying , “ Master , the one you love is ill. ” When Jesus heard this he said , “ This illness is not to end in death , but is for the glory of God , that the Son of God may be glorified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and her sister and Lazarus .
So when he heard that he was ill , he remained for two days in the place where he was .
Then after this he said to his disciples , “ Let us go back to Judea.
” The disciples said to him , “ Rabbi , the Jews were just trying to stone you , and you want to go back there ?
” Jesus answered , “ Are there not twelve hours in a day ?
If one walks during the day , he does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ light of this world .
But if one walks at night , he stumbles , because the light is not in him.
” He said this , and then told them , “ Our friend Lazarus is asleep , but I am going to awaken him.
” So the disciples said to him , “ Master , if he is asleep , he will be saved.
” But Jesus was talking about his death , while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep .
So then Jesus said to them clearly , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ glad for you that I was not there , that you may believe .
Let us go to him.
” So Thomas , called Didymus , said to his fellow disciples , “ Let us also go to die with him.
” When Jesus arrived , he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days .
Now Bethany was near Jerusalem , only about two miles away .
And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother .
When Martha heard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to meet him ; but Mary sat at home .
Martha said to Jesus , “ Lord , if you had been here , my brother would not have died .
But even now I know that whatever you ask of God , God will give you.
” Jesus said to her , “ Your brother will rise.
” Martha said to him , “ I know he will rise , in the resurrection on the last day.
” Jesus told her , “ I am the resurrection and the life ; whoever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dies , will live , and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die .
Do you believe this ?
” She said to him , “ Yes , Lord .
I have come to believe that you are the Christ , the Son of God , the one who is coming into the world.
” When she had said this , she went and called her sister Mary secretly , saying , “ The teacher is here and is asking for you.
” As soon as she heard this , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
For Jesus had not yet come into the village , but was still where Martha had met him .
So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her saw Mary get up quickly and go out , they followed her , presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there .
When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him , she fell at his feet and said to him , “ Lord , if you had been here , my brother would not have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the Jews who had come with her weeping , he became perturbed and deeply troubled , and said , “ Where have you laid him ?
” They said to him , “ Sir , come and see.
” And Jesus wept .
So the Jews said , “ See how he loved him.
” But some of them said , “ Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died ?
” So Jesus , perturbed again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a cave , and a stone lay across it .
Jesus said , “ Take away the stone.
” Martha , the dead man ’ s sister , said to him , “ Lord , by now there will be a stench ; he has been dead for four days.
” Jesus said to her , “ Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God ?
” So they took away the stone .
And Jesus raised his eyes and said , “ Father @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I know that you always hear me ; but because of the crowd here I have said this , that they may believe that you sent me.
” And when he had said this , he cried out in a loud voice , “ Lazarus , come out !
” The dead man came out , tied hand and foot with burial bands , and his face was wrapped in a cloth .
So Jesus said to them , “ Untie him and let him go.
” Now many of the Jews @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what he had done began to believe in him .
We are having quite the Lenten season this year , are we not ?
Our pastor remarked that he had some trouble deciding what to give up for Lent this year ; instead , we have been forced to give up everything , or so it seems .
The churches have shut down and likely won ’ t reopen here until after Easter .
Even if they do , the likelihood will be that few people will want to congregate in large numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least for several weeks .
In that sense , faithful Christians can understandably feel as though they have given up everything for Lent this year .
Catholics especially feel the loss of access to the Eucharist , which online Masses doesn ’ t quite cover .
And it is not just the loss of that access that we feel , either , but the loss of communion with our ecclesial communities — our friends and neighbors of the parish .
The loss of their physical presence can be assuaged in part through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook and Zoom can only take us so far .
It is as though we have all crawled into a spiritual and communal crypt .
Not only do we not know when we can hope to emerge , we can not even know when we might want to emerge .
Our present situation feels like a kind of suspended animation in all aspects , a darkness where light might frighten us just as much as darkness .
This , perhaps , might be the most appropriate situation for the Gospel reading about Lazarus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ season , but this year it can teach us much more about our spiritual place in the world .
We have become a parable in ourselves , as we await a reawakening in the world as well as in our spiritual lives .
The Lord promised this reawakening from the beginning .
His call to humanity for reunion speaks throughout salvation history , but Ezekiel puts it in specific terms in our first reading today .
“ O my people , ” the Lord says through Ezekiel , “ I will open your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and bring you back to the land of Israel.
” Ezekiel wrote this during the second wave of exile to Babylon from Jerusalem , when the Judeans lost the Solomonic temple and their definition of community , a period which would last almost a century .
Their darkness was far more intense than our present darkness , of course , but even in their despair , the Lord kept calling them back to Him .
He expressly promised a resurrection in both literal and figurative terms if the Israelites would only open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s prophecy reminded them , and reminds us , that this life is not the end but the beginning , and that our worldly concerns should not eclipse our spiritual connection to God .
When Jesus hears that Lazarus is sick , today ’ s Gospel shows Him deliberately hesitating before going back to Bethany .
He wanted to demonstrate the power of His mercy and the purpose of His mission — to destroy death and provide a vision of our ultimate journey .
Jesus would use His own crucifixion as the ultimate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demise sets the stage for that sacrifice of the Passion .
Lazarus had been in the tomb long enough for others to warn Jesus that the stench of his decay would be horrible , but they did not know what He had in mind .
All they saw was death and darkness , and the seemingly insurmountable distance now put between themselves and Lazarus .
What do the neighbors say in this Gospel about Jesus ’ appearance ?
They rebuke Him for allowing the distance in the first place .
“ Could not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died ?
” We react in similar ways to death and mortal crises such as this present pandemic .
Why does God allow this to happen ?
It is one of the most enduring questions and contradictions of our spiritual lives , and in our present moment perhaps one of the most pressing .
We pray for His intervention in times like these , hoping to draw closer to Him , or perhaps more accurately , hoping to draw Him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these times , however , that remind us that the Lord is calling us from our tombs every day .
He wants us to embrace eternal life in Him , not material life where everything ends in death and destruction .
His plan is to have us join Him of our own free will , answering the call to leave our crypts and become His sons and daughters in the true Promised Land of His loving presence .
We have it in our power to go from death into life by aligning our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s through the Holy Spirit , Paul writes in his letter to the Romans .
In order to answer that call , we must consider ourselves dead to this world and live with Christ instead : This is how we all become Lazarus , however imperfectly we try .
This period inside the crypt of “ social distancing ” will soon pass , and the pandemic will abate through the gifts of science and reason in the form of treatments and vaccines .
The longer we remain in our spiritual crypts , however @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our brothers and sisters , the more we will grow accustomed to the darkness and fear the Light .
This Lenten season is the perfect time to answer Christ ’ s call to come forth .
We truly have nothing to lose in a fallen world where decay and death are inexorable and inevitable , and everything to gain .
The front-page image is a detail from “ The Raising of Lazarus ” by Jean Jouvenet , 1706 .
Currently on display in the Louvre Museum .
Via Wikimedia Commons .
“ Sunday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looking at the specific readings used in today ’ s Mass in Catholic parishes around the world .
The reflection represents only my own point of view , intended to help prepare myself for the Lord ’ s day and perhaps spark a meaningful discussion .
Previous Sunday Reflections from the main page can be found here .
For previous Green Room entries , click here .

This morning’s Gospel reading is John 11:1–45:
Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill. So the sisters sent word to Jesus saying, “Master, the one you love is ill.” When Jesus heard this he said, “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was. Then after this he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and you want to go back there?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in a day? If one walks during the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks at night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” He said this, and then told them, “Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him.” So the disciples said to him, “Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.” But Jesus was talking about his death, while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep. So then Jesus said to them clearly, “Lazarus has died. And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe. Let us go to him.” So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go to die with him.” When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away. And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying, “The teacher is here and is asking for you.” As soon as she heard this, she rose quickly and went to him. For Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still where Martha had met him. So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her saw Mary get up quickly and go out, they followed her, presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Sir, come and see.” And Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.” But some of them said, “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?” So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, “Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.” And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.” Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him.
We are having quite the Lenten season this year, are we not? Our pastor remarked that he had some trouble deciding what to give up for Lent this year; instead, we have been forced to give up everything, or so it seems. The churches have shut down and likely won’t reopen here until after Easter. Even if they do, the likelihood will be that few people will want to congregate in large numbers for Mass or any other reason, at least for several weeks.
In that sense, faithful Christians can understandably feel as though they have given up everything for Lent this year. Catholics especially feel the loss of access to the Eucharist, which online Masses doesn’t quite cover. And it is not just the loss of that access that we feel, either, but the loss of communion with our ecclesial communities — our friends and neighbors of the parish. The loss of their physical presence can be assuaged in part through social media and conference technology, but Facebook and Zoom can only take us so far.
It is as though we have all crawled into a spiritual and communal crypt. Not only do we not know when we can hope to emerge, we cannot even know when we might want to emerge. Our present situation feels like a kind of suspended animation in all aspects, a darkness where light might frighten us just as much as darkness.
This, perhaps, might be the most appropriate situation for the Gospel reading about Lazarus. We hear this passage every Lenten season, but this year it can teach us much more about our spiritual place in the world. We have become a parable in ourselves, as we await a reawakening in the world as well as in our spiritual lives.
The Lord promised this reawakening from the beginning. His call to humanity for reunion speaks throughout salvation history, but Ezekiel puts it in specific terms in our first reading today. “O my people,” the Lord says through Ezekiel, “I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel.”
Ezekiel wrote this during the second wave of exile to Babylon from Jerusalem, when the Judeans lost the Solomonic temple and their definition of community, a period which would last almost a century. Their darkness was far more intense than our present darkness, of course, but even in their despair, the Lord kept calling them back to Him. He expressly promised a resurrection in both literal and figurative terms if the Israelites would only open their hearts to Him. Ezekiel’s prophecy reminded them, and reminds us, that this life is not the end but the beginning, and that our worldly concerns should not eclipse our spiritual connection to God.
When Jesus hears that Lazarus is sick, today’s Gospel shows Him deliberately hesitating before going back to Bethany. He wanted to demonstrate the power of His mercy and the purpose of His mission — to destroy death and provide a vision of our ultimate journey. Jesus would use His own crucifixion as the ultimate victory over death, but Lazarus’ demise sets the stage for that sacrifice of the Passion. Lazarus had been in the tomb long enough for others to warn Jesus that the stench of his decay would be horrible, but they did not know what He had in mind. All they saw was death and darkness, and the seemingly insurmountable distance now put between themselves and Lazarus.
What do the neighbors say in this Gospel about Jesus’ appearance? They rebuke Him for allowing the distance in the first place. “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?” We react in similar ways to death and mortal crises such as this present pandemic. Why does God allow this to happen? It is one of the most enduring questions and contradictions of our spiritual lives, and in our present moment perhaps one of the most pressing. We pray for His intervention in times like these, hoping to draw closer to Him, or perhaps more accurately, hoping to draw Him more closer to us.
It is these times, however, that remind us that the Lord is calling us from our tombs every day. He wants us to embrace eternal life in Him, not material life where everything ends in death and destruction. His plan is to have us join Him of our own free will, answering the call to leave our crypts and become His sons and daughters in the true Promised Land of His loving presence.
We have it in our power to go from death into life by aligning our hearts and wills to the Lord’s through the Holy Spirit, Paul writes in his letter to the Romans. In order to answer that call, we must consider ourselves dead to this world and live with Christ instead:
But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness. If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the One who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit dwelling in you.
This is how we all become Lazarus, however imperfectly we try. This period inside the crypt of “social distancing” will soon pass, and the pandemic will abate through the gifts of science and reason in the form of treatments and vaccines. The longer we remain in our spiritual crypts, however, unwilling to embrace the Lord and our brothers and sisters, the more we will grow accustomed to the darkness and fear the Light. This Lenten season is the perfect time to answer Christ’s call to come forth. We truly have nothing to lose in a fallen world where decay and death are inexorable and inevitable, and everything to gain.
The front-page image is a detail from “The Raising of Lazarus” by Jean Jouvenet, 1706. Currently on display in the Louvre Museum. Via Wikimedia Commons.
“Sunday Reflection” is a regular feature, looking at the specific readings used in today’s Mass in Catholic parishes around the world. The reflection represents only my own point of view, intended to help prepare myself for the Lord’s day and perhaps spark a meaningful discussion. Previous Sunday Reflections from the main page can be found here. For previous Green Room entries, click here.


hotair--2020-03-30--LA and Seattle announce first coronavirus cases among the homeless

“ The big worry [ is ] that it could be transmitted pretty quickly through our clients before anybody really knows it ’ s happening , ” said Dan Malone , the executive director of the Downtown Emergency Services Center , another of the largest shelter providers in the Seattle area .
That news has some shelters in the area on lockdown , and others on edge… Seattle has been struggling to open new spaces for the homeless to prevent overcrowding but the numbers are daunting : In Los Angeles , Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the first case of coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A report published by the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health last week estimated that as many as 400 homeless people could die from the virus just in LA County .
To put that number in perspective , at present there are only 142 coronavirus related deaths in all of California .
San Francisco is making similar efforts and will be opening its largest convention center to the homeless this week .
In the meantime , the city ’ s sidewalks have been filling up with tents as the city has put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hiatus : If you want to see the challenges and limitations of enforcing San Francisco ’ s shelter-in-place order and observing social distancing , take a walk through the Tenderloin .
Since Mayor London Breed ’ s March 16 public health order , tents filled with homeless people have sprouted up along Hyde , Eddy , Turk and Jones streets — all with the quiet blessing of the city .
Lines for the neighborhood ’ s free kitchens and methadone clinics stretch for blocks , overwhelming staff attempts to maintain a 6-foot distance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stuff to get food , to get high — and everyday life , ” said Diana Hardnett , as she sat with two friends , tending to boxes of razors , used clothing and other small items spread out on a blanket at the corner of Turk and Hyde streets on Wednesday morning .
A few feet away , a police officer handed out flyers to tent dwellers explaining the need for safe distancing , as a Public Works crew performed its daily sidewalk scrub-down .
If you ’ re thinking this sounds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But expecting people who live on the streets to take better care of themselves during a pandemic is really missing the point entirely .
If they could take better care of themselves they wouldn ’ t be on the street in the first place .
So issuing guidance by handing out fliers isn ’ t going to do much .
The only way to prevent this population from becoming a hot spot for the spread of the virus is to take control of the situation and make sure people comply .
Otherwise , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to die and they are going to take up a lot of hospital beds , potentially putting others at risk .
When you think about it , the coronavirus is just the same old arguments we have had about the homeless for years , only on steroids .
A lot of homeless people already die every year because we let them carry on as they wish even as they create a risk of spreading diseases like typhus and typhoid to people around them .
I guess we ’ ll see if the threat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ ll still allow addicts and people with mental problems to carry on like normal .

“The big worry [is] that it could be transmitted pretty quickly through our clients before anybody really knows it’s happening,” said Dan Malone, the executive director of the Downtown Emergency Services Center, another of the largest shelter providers in the Seattle area.
That news has some shelters in the area on lockdown, and others on edge…
Seattle has been struggling to open new spaces for the homeless to prevent overcrowding but the numbers are daunting:
Last week, a report by leading homelessness researchers estimated that King County would need to create 1,770 new units to decrease crowding in existing shelters, and create more than 9,000 new units for people currently living unsheltered during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the first case of coronavirus contracted by a homeless person last Friday. A report published by the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health last week estimated that as many as 400 homeless people could die from the virus just in LA County. To put that number in perspective, at present there are only 142 coronavirus related deaths in all of California.
San Francisco is making similar efforts and will be opening its largest convention center to the homeless this week. In the meantime, the city’s sidewalks have been filling up with tents as the city has put efforts to keep them at bay on hiatus:
If you want to see the challenges and limitations of enforcing San Francisco’s shelter-in-place order and observing social distancing, take a walk through the Tenderloin. Since Mayor London Breed’s March 16 public health order, tents filled with homeless people have sprouted up along Hyde, Eddy, Turk and Jones streets — all with the quiet blessing of the city. Lines for the neighborhood’s free kitchens and methadone clinics stretch for blocks, overwhelming staff attempts to maintain a 6-foot distance between people… “We got to sell stuff to get food, to get high — and everyday life,” said Diana Hardnett, as she sat with two friends, tending to boxes of razors, used clothing and other small items spread out on a blanket at the corner of Turk and Hyde streets on Wednesday morning. A few feet away, a police officer handed out flyers to tent dwellers explaining the need for safe distancing, as a Public Works crew performed its daily sidewalk scrub-down.
If you’re thinking this sounds crazy, you’re right. But expecting people who live on the streets to take better care of themselves during a pandemic is really missing the point entirely. If they could take better care of themselves they wouldn’t be on the street in the first place. So issuing guidance by handing out fliers isn’t going to do much. The only way to prevent this population from becoming a hot spot for the spread of the virus is to take control of the situation and make sure people comply. Otherwise, a lot of these people are going to die and they are going to take up a lot of hospital beds, potentially putting others at risk.
When you think about it, the coronavirus is just the same old arguments we have had about the homeless for years, only on steroids. A lot of homeless people already die every year because we let them carry on as they wish even as they create a risk of spreading diseases like typhus and typhoid to people around them. I guess we’ll see if the threat of coronavirus changes the calculation or if we’ll still allow addicts and people with mental problems to carry on like normal.