Government Response to Coronavirus 2: It's Not A Hoax

[GreyhoundFan]

I couldn't agree more: "The media must stop live-broadcasting Trump’s dangerous, destructive coronavirus briefings"

Spoiler

More and more each day, President Trump is using his daily briefings as a substitute for the campaign rallies that have been forced into extinction by the spread of the novel coronavirus.

These White House sessions — ostensibly meant to give the public critical and truthful information about this frightening crisis — are in fact working against that end.

Rather, they have become a daily stage for Trump to play his greatest hits to captive audience members. They come in search of life-or-death information, but here’s what they get from him instead:

 ● Self-aggrandizement. When asked how he would grade his response to the crisis, the president said, “I’d rate it a 10.” Absurd on its face, of course, but effective enough as blatant propaganda

● Media-bashing. When NBC News’s Peter Alexander lobbed him a softball question in Friday’s briefing — “What do you say to Americans who are scared?” — Trump went on a bizarre attack. “I say, you’re a terrible reporter,” the president said, launching into one of his trademark “fake news” rants bashing Alexander’s employer. (Meanwhile, he has also found time during these news briefings to lavish praise on sycophantic pro-Trump media like One America News Network, whose staffer — I can’t call her a reporter — invited him to justify his xenophobic talk of a “Chinese virus” by asking rhetorically if he considers the phrase “Chinese food” racist.)

● Exaggeration and outright lies. Trump has claimed that there are plenty of tests available (there aren’t); that Google is “very quickly” rolling out a nationwide website to help manage coronavirus treatment (the tech giant was blindsided by the premature claim); that the drug chloroquine, approved to treat malaria, is a promising cure for the virus and “we’re going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately.” (It hasn’t been approved for this use, and there is no evidence to demonstrate its effectiveness in fighting the virus.)

Trump is doing harm and spreading misinformation while working for his own partisan political benefit — a naked attempt to portray himself as a wartime president bravely leading the nation through a tumultuous time, the FDR of the 21st century. 

 The press — if it defines its purpose as getting truthful, useful, non-harmful information to the public, as opposed to merely juicing its own ratings and profits — must recognize what is happening and adjust accordingly. (And that, granted, is a very big “if.”)

Business as usual simply doesn’t cut it. Minor accommodations, like fact-checking the president’s statements afterward, don’t go nearly far enough to counter the serious damage this man is doing to the public’s well-being.

Radical change is necessary: The cable networks and other news organizations that are taking the president’s briefings as live feeds should stop doing so.

Should they cover the news that’s produced in them? Of course. Thoroughly and relentlessly — with context and fact-checking built in to every step and at every stage. 

“There is a very real possibility that in broadcasting these press conferences live or in quickly publishing and blasting out his words in mobile alerts, we are actively misinforming our audience,” Alex Koppelman, managing editor of CNN Business, wrote in an email for the network’s Reliable Sources newsletter.

Koppelman stopped short of overtly calling for the radical solution. That’s not so for Jay Rosen, a journalism professor at New York University who wrote on his PressThink blog that the media needs to switch into “emergency mode”for covering Trump and clearly communicate that change to its readers and viewers.

“We are not obliged to assist him in misinforming the American public about the spread of the virus, and what is actually being done by his government,” Rosen wrote.

Rather than covering Trump live, he recommended, among other things, that the media should “attend carefully to what he says” and subject it to verification before blasting it out to the public. 

It’s important to remember how much Trump’s tune has changed on the coronavirus, from blithely dismissive to self-importantly serious. 

This is what he was saying about the virus in public as recently as Feb. 27: “It’s going to disappear. One day — it’s like a miracle — it will disappear.”

We know, without any doubt, that Trump was ignoring intelligence reports that warned about the likelihood of a pandemic at the same time he was cooing these baseless reassurances. But now he’s claiming that he knew the problem was a pandemic long before others did, and that he took every step possible.

Will people remember the depths of his mendacity and hold him accountable?

“I’m worried about our collective memory when it comes to this,” Charlie Warzel of the New York Times wrote on Saturday. It is this initial lack of action that will cost lives months down the road, he noted. Therefore, “accountability will mean not giving into recency bias when this ends and remembering how it got so bad in the first place.”

There’s a strong counter-argument to be made, of course: that the press shouldn’t be in the business of shielding the public from the president’s statements — no matter how misleading, xenophobic or damaging.

It’s a persuasive argument, and one I wish I could still believe in.

But Trump has proved, time after time, that he doesn’t care about truth, that he puts his financial and political self-interest above that of the public, and that he has no understanding of the role of the press in a democracy. And now lives are on the line.

The news media, at this dangerous and unprecedented moment in world history, must put the highest priority on getting truthful information to the public.

Taking Trump’s press conferences as a live feed works against that core purpose.

 

[clueliss]

 

Racist dumbass in Riley county.

Spoiler

 

 

[fraurosena]

I can't even anymore.

 

[fraurosena]

Holy shit!  Viktor Orban has used the pandemic to install a near-dictatorship in Hungary.

America, beware! Trump could decide to do the same any time he likes.

 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

3 hours ago, fraurosena said:

fail to see the logic how this would help. Either more people will come to the shops in this smaller timeframe, so contamination is more likely, or less people can go in to buy goods -- so what happens then to those that can't get the groceries they need? 

Idk but the only thing I can think of is perhaps they are struggling to staff shifts.  If people are getting sick or quitting and they have less people maybe it’s a way to maintain a workable schedule for them.  

Never mind - I see this was answered already by those smarter than me.

Edited March 22, 2020 by HerNameIsBuffy

[GreyhoundFan]

I'm sure Twitler would applaud this nasty piece of work:

 

[elliha]

48 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

Holy shit!  Viktor Orban has used the pandemic to install a near-dictatorship in Hungary.

America, beware! Trump could decide to do the same any time he likes.

 

Yeah, this is extremely concerning. The current Polish government is also going to try to use the corona crisis to stay in power by not moving the election and thereby keeping other parties from being able to campaign. The fight against these types of people is even more important now than ever. It is clear that some are using this crisis for their own agenda both within their country and outside of their country. 

[clueliss]

90 in Missouri and hey we have a by age group breakdown.  26% are 20 to 29.  I do suspect there’s quite a few college age travel related in that group.  
 

someone at Whiteman Air Force base has it.  (Stealth bombers there.). 
 

Spoiler

And the republicans in Kansas legislature are more concerned with limiting the governor’s emergency power 

 

[GreyhoundFan]

I swear, no matter how furious I get, someone else in this sham administration finds a way to make it worse:

 

[clueliss]

Looks like Nashville is going to safer at home status

 

Attention Steevhovah Will has to shelter in place  

 

 

[clueliss]

Guess what Rand Paul has?

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-03-22-20/h_52177c38508dc35c4f6314243d3c26a3

[Audrey2]

30 minutes ago, clueliss said:

Guess what Rand Paul has?

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-03-22-20/h_52177c38508dc35c4f6314243d3c26a3

Oh gee, it couldn't happen to a nicer guy. Here is hoping he spent a lot of time with his buddy Moscow Mitch. And yes, I do resent that he was able to get tested just because he spent time around people who come down with coronavirus and other people who the testing is vitally important for our unable to get it.

Edited March 22, 2020 by Audrey2

[clueliss]

Platte County Missouri (metro KC north of the river, and location of MCI airport) going to stay at home

And Angela Merkel in Quarantine 

Spoiler

https://twitter.com/cnbc/status/1241784159087058947?s=21

 

[SassyPants]

34 minutes ago, Audrey2 said:

Oh gee, it couldn't happen to a nicer guy. Here is hoping he spent a lot of time with his buddy Moscow Mitch. And yes, I do resent that he was able to get tested just because he spent time around people who come down with coronavirus and other people who the testing is vitally important for our unable to get it.

The post actually states that he did NOT know he had been in contact with any known infected person. So, other than beIng a US senator, what health criteria did he met for getting tested? Just think of all the asymptomatic non-rich Ron Pauls out there who might have the virus and are currently affecting others. 

[Audrey2]

1 hour ago, GreyhoundFan said:

I'm sure Twitler would applaud this nasty piece of work:

 

I guess this means that Trump supporters really are full of poo.

[Exchange Atheist]

All German states have now issued a no-contact order (just before Merkel went into quarantine). Any public meetings of more than two people are forbidden (family and roommates are exempted), and we are told not to leave the house without good reason (sport, taking a walk, doctor visits, going to work and grocery shopping are allowed). All restaurants, hairdressers etc. are closed. I honestly believe that the only reason they won’t call it a lockdown is the still quite recent history of East Germany.

Now for the “fun” part: the crisis management is slowly turning into party politics. Ever since Merkel announced that she no longer wants to run for chancellor in the next election, there has been a dispute between three people who the spot: Spahn, the current federal minister for health; Laschet, currently president of Northrhine Westphalia; and Söder, currently president of Bavaria (and not technically in Merkel’s party - it’s complicated). These three are constantly trying to gain the most attention for their crisis management. In today’s phone conference regarding the new measures, Laschet and Söder got into such a heated argument of each other’s communication tactics that Merkel had to act as mediator. It’s honestly a bit embarrassing.

(in case anyone is interested, Spahn’s current bid for attention via crisis management is a bill that would allow surveillance of all citizens via phone GPS, similar to what Israel is doing already. That plan fell through today.)

 

[Italiangirl]

Some good news after 3 days of almost stability tonight the numbers have gone down for the first time in a very good way on a national level the % of the new cases are down to 10.3% and in Lombardia the most affect region is down to 6.6% !!  so the quarantine seems to work is still very early to say it but i think is worth to give you some hope, it take us 13 days of strict quarantine to see this result. 

i attach the chart who shows the sit as today...dark pink is the total cases, pink line is actual cases blu line is the recovered and black is the dead

Edited March 22, 2020 by Italiangirl

[GreyhoundFan]

 

[WiseGirl]

 

[GreyhoundFan]

 

[Audrey2]

1 hour ago, SassyPants said:

The post actually states that he did NOT know he had been in contact with any known infected person. So, other than beIng a US senator, what health criteria did he met for getting tested? Just think of all the asymptomatic non-rich Ron Pauls out there who might have the virus and are currently affecting others. 

Thank you for catching my oversight. This makes it even worse. We can randomly test members of Congress, but don't have enough tests for the critically ill? This infuriates me!

[GreyhoundFan]

Because of course we have to enrich Dear Leader.

[GreyhoundFan]

I don't usually like to use the word hate, but if there is someone to whom that word applies, it would be Twitler:

 

[GreyhoundFan]

We can all use a little Borowitz report:

 

[GreyhoundFan]

Twitler just can't help sucking up to dictators: "North Korea says it received a letter from Trump"

Spoiler

(CNN)North Korea said President Donald Trump sent Kim Jong Un a personal letter in which he expressed his willingness to help with "anti-epidemic work," according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency early Sunday."

In the letter, Trump "explained his plan to propel the relations between the two countries of the DPRK and the U.S. and expressed his intent to render cooperation in the anti-epidemic work, saying that he was impressed by the efforts made by the Chairman to defend his people from the serious threat of the epidemic," according to a statement from Kim Yo Jong, Kim's younger sister and first vice department director for WPK Central Committee, as reported by KCNA.

She also praised Trump's move as "good judgment and proper action" toward retaining a good relationship with the hermit nation at a time with what she referred to as "big difficulties and challenges."

"We regard it as a good judgment and proper action for the U.S. president to make efforts to keep the good relations he had with our Chairman by sending a personal letter again at a time as now when big difficulties and challenges lie in the way of developing the bilateral relations, and think that this should be highly estimated," she said.

CNN has reached out to both the White House and National Security Council for comment.

In the past week, worldwide cases of the coronavirus nearly doubled, and there are now twice as many deaths.

More than 300,000 people have contracted the novel coronavirus and at least 12,944 have died, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. In the United States, more than 323 people have died from the virus.

US-North Korea relations

Last month, Trump told top foreign policy advisers that he does not want another summit with Kim before the presidential election in November, according to two sources familiar with the discussions.

Trump's last meeting with the North Korean dictator took place more than a year ago, and both leaders walked away empty-handed. Since then diplomacy -- aimed at achieving the denuclearization of North Korea -- has floundered, and as Trump focuses on his reelection campaign his appetite to engage on the issue has waned, according to the sources.

Trump expressed his frustration late last year after the first working-level talks between the two countries for eight months fell apart in October, sources explained. US negotiators believed they were making progress during the talks in Stockholm until the North Koreans claimed they broke down because the US had come "empty handed."

The two leaders have enjoyed a turbulent relationship since Trump has been in office. Prior to their historic first summit in 2018 Trump and Kim had traded threats and insults with the American President dubbing the North Korean leader a "little rocket man." But after meeting Kim in Singapore, the two seemed to strike up an unlikely friendship culminating in the President telling a rally in fall 2018 that they "fell in love."

In January, Trump sent a birthday message to Kim but his public comments on North Korea have been noticeably more muted.

On New Year's Eve, Trump reiterated that the leaders had a "good relationship," but also acknowledged that they may have divergent agendas.

"Look, he likes me; I like him. We get along. He's representing his country. I'm representing my country. We have to do what we have to do," Trump told reporters at Mar-A-Lago when he was asked about the Christmas gift promised by the North Koreans. That gift -- which the administration expected to be a missile launch of some sort -- never came.

Those working on Trump's reelection campaign do not believe North Korea is an issue crucial to the President winning a return to office.

It was also noticeable that Trump did not mention the country in his State of the Union speech.

Last year, he used the address to announce the second US-North Korea summit and in 2018 Trump invited a North Korean defector as one of his guests.