Government Response to Coronavirus 4: The Reality Show From Hell

[GreyhoundFan]

So DeSantis has declared WWE as "essential". Good grief.

 

[Howl]

I linked to that tweet to give it an upvote and retweet! 

Also because we need it

 

[ADoyle90815]

I guess we can say that Florida is the way it is because a Florida Man is governor who decided that wrestling was an "essential business."

[GreyhoundFan]

7 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

 

 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

I am trying to watch now...he's been blaming the WHO for the last several minutes.  He keeps saying they failed over and over.

I have a question, after 3 years why isn't he better at reading from a page?  He's so poor at reading aloud I physically cringe.  I know it's BEC because it wouldn't matter if he were competent and the words he was reading were substantive, but he can't even pull off the superficial stuff.

 

[ALM7]

10 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

I am trying to watch now...he's been blaming the WHO for the last several minutes.  He keeps saying they failed over and over.

I have a question, after 3 years why isn't he better at reading from a page?  He's so poor at reading aloud I physically cringe.  I know it's BEC because it wouldn't matter if he were competent and the words he was reading were substantive, but he can't even pull off the superficial stuff.

 

@HerNameIsBuffy, Bourbon helps ... so does .

He just said he's not allowed to shake hands ... Why would he want to? 

Edited April 14, 2020 by ALM7
He said something else stupid in a minute.

[Howl]

54 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

I have a question, after 3 years why isn't he better at reading from a page?  He's so poor at reading aloud I physically cringe.  I know it's BEC because it wouldn't matter if he were competent and the words he was reading were substantive, but he can't even pull off the superficial stuff.

It's easy.  He wears reading glasses when he's out of the public eye and is too vain to wear them in public.  He thinks it's better to sound like a 1st grader hooked oh phonics than wear reading glasses. 

 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

Blaming:

• WHO - lack of transparency, lying, being politically correct, protecting China
• China - lack of transparency, lying
• Governors -  asking for ventilators and money they didn't need
  • must be held accountable and must take charge.  They need to control boarders, administration will be announcing a date and some states to be open before end of April.  
• He hopes congress can get money to the people, no one can believe how much the American people are getting.

Credit: (aka smoke blowing straight up his ass)

• Trump Administration at his direction - requiring production of more high quality ventilators that we can stock pile in a ventilator reserve program
  • When the supply starts pouring in, which has already started, and will start in less than a month.  Because that's how sentences work.
  • At a level no one can believe, even other countries, big, powerful countries cannot believe what we've been able to do.
• Vice President for reminding task force of resilience of the American people
• Himself for the initial travel ban 
• Random people from hospitals coming up to the mic to thank Trump for his help
• Uh oh - guy from Ohio thanked state as well as federal government...I bet he doesn't get asked back
• The amount of ICU beds we have in this country is the best there is - other countries have less.  (Does he knows this is a large country and beds in one area don't help patients in another region)
• Rutgers processing tests with saliva - "I call it innovation under pressure."
• The very smart financial people, great minds, are looking at stock and saying "wow."  The smart great people have a lot of confidence our economy will be booming soon.
  • Until recently the greatest economy anywhere in the world, and the greatest economy in the history of the world.  And once we get rid of the invisible enemy we'll top those records.
• He will be speaking to each governor soon and will be authorizing them to reopen maybe even before May 1st.  (Trump speak for someone told him he doesn't have constitutional authority over this the way he claimed yesterday.)
• Listing names of companies and orgs he'll be speaking with soon.  Idk why.  "A lot are friends of mine."  Ah, that's why.  Naming more companies.  All the top people.  CEOS, chairman, presidents.
• Amazing oil deal, biggest ever made maybe, thanking Russia and Saudi Arabia.  It will be good for our "energy states."  OPEC Plus.  
• President of Mexico for his dexterity and flexibility (not dirty, but kinda sounded like it.)
• Naming more companies he'll be talking to soon.  Someone please break his phone.  Chuck Schwab will be here by phone.  Why can't he speak?  Oh, Wendys....he wants samples.  "John George and my friend Danielle, you know them"  and Wolfgang Puck.  Big powerful shippers.  Naming more companies and health systems...holy shit this is like sitting through my kids' graduations.  1000+ kids in a graduating class this is just like listing to the names ...blurring together.  All the big ones.  Tech companies, Apple, Google, Oracle, Sales Force, Microsoft, FaceBook, Cisco...he's stumbling on some of the lesser known.  Other countries have to be smart, they can't catch how great our silicon valley is.
• Wants sports back as he's tired of watching ball games that are 14 years old, caught himself immediately and pointed out he barely has time to watch.  Listing names of sports orgs, names I don't recognize...seriously is he doing this just to prove he can read?
• Thought leaders...John Ellison, Condeleeza Rice (great person), lots more yada yada....religious leaders will be coming on Friday...tremendous enthusiasm to meet by great religious leaders who want to be a part.  They will be talking about opening churches.  The best, the smartest, the brightest. 
• Some things will open very shortly, maybe immediately, states will be held accountable.  Fed gov will help but states are accountable for opening.
• Admin taking credit for the Abbot center - even when they didn't need as much as they thought.
• Admin taking credit for the two great ships - will announce the political list tomorrow.

 

Hopes to be substantially under 100k deaths.  Actual projection 2.2 mil people....he's now showing he knows 1.1 million is half of 2.2.  Totally taking credit for fewer deaths ...anything under 2.2 million.

He thinks some governors like him and he likes some of them.  Some day he'll tell us which ones.  Gee, thanks.

If he's unhappy with a state they'll let them know they're unhappy and have to do something that's very serious.  But he doesn't think he'll have to step in - some can come out very shortly and it will be a very beautiful process.  

Always health.  Health and life and living is #1.  His eloquence is breathtaking as always.

The federal government has ventilators, beds, and hospitals if they need them.  They're here to help.

Questions from the press:

• Why is this the time to cut funding to the WHO?  Their mistakes and should have been done by administrations from before.  And WHO is too China-centric.  We give them too much money which is why we're putting a hold on all funds going to WHO, we aren't being treated properly.
• What if governors don't obey?  Would you take away funding?  He won't say because they'll do what they're told because they need us.  And they will be very respectful of the presidency.  Not me, the presidency.  
• Having testing and tracing equipment in place to open up government, Dr, Fauchi said this morning that doesn't exist.  Will it by May 1st?  Trump got touchy, "I don't know what he said.  There is tremendous testing and governors will use whatever is necessary.
• With regards to the WHO, will you reverse if someone (didn't catch name) steps down?  Blah blah other presidents didn't stop - ranting about WTO as well even though off topic.
• How does he square he was saying the same things WHO was months ago?  Now he's talking about his trade deal with China - trade deal, farmers...totally evading question.  He thinks Xi will live up to it.
• You want to blame WHO and people here can't get tested and aren't social distancing ...he cut off the question and guy is fighting to be heard that people were following his lead....called reporter showboat and loudmouth.  Threatened to leave 3x if reporter didn't shut up.
• Didn't hear question, but some states are set to open now, sooner than end of month some states shouldn't be included in shutdown because things are fine.  He won't let states open early if it will be dangerous.  He is providing great testing but states now have to provide great testing.  States should have gotten their own ventilators but fed gov had to do it.
• Didn't hear question - he's respectful of China and is always respectful of other countries.  His voice is going all high the way it does when he's whining and trying to keep normal tone of voice.  Investigation underway with the WHO for the 500 mil we're paying and see if it can be remedied.   Called him on praising china for transparency in January...he's back to the talking point about the china travel ban.  He's pissed and yelling while pretending not to.
• Last week said he would have data on disproportionate corona for black Americans...being looked into very strongly and will have data soon.  He's studying other countries but won't name them because doesn't want to embarrass them.  America is one country, but it's like a puzzle.  He's putting no pressure on governors but some are ready to go now and it's a good thing.
• Cuomo said earlier today if NY was pressured to open he'd take it to court constitutional crisis....Trump going off on how much help Cuomo needed and all the fed government has done for NY.  They get along just fine.
• Can't hear question (why do they always do these with bad acoustics).  Companies can do testing, can do temperature gauging, we want to get back to where we were...doesn't like the way the press corps looks all spread out.  
• Paycheck protection money will run out soon plan to re-up it stalled in Congress?  Stalled by democrats, last time they shoved the Kennedy center in and he didn't want that in (one thing I agree with them on - wtf)  Money will be expired and need a refill for workers so small businesses stay open.
• California governor had list of 6 criteria before opening did he run that by trump?  He won't say but they have a great relationship?
• Question about food supply?  We're doing phenomenally with food and shipping.  Incredibly.
• Question about guidelines?  There will be guidelines even for states opening until the enemy is vanquished.

I listened to this entire thing and need a drink.  Or 7.

 

[Howl]

1 hour ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

I am trying to watch now...he's been blaming the WHO for the last several minutes.  He keeps saying they failed over and over.

WHO has failed him because they aren't loyal and haven't come to his defense.  There's zero reason why they would, it's not their job, but that's not how he sees it.  Anyone, any entity that doesn't praise him or points out, even indirectly, an error or failing, is his enemy and he will seek revenge. 

OMG, @HerNameIsBuffy, thanks for taking one for the team!  How long did it go on, and on and on and on?  

Trump is coming unhinged or should it be unglued. Hard to tell, but the wheels are coming off the train. 

Edited April 14, 2020 by Howl

[GreyhoundFan]

2 hours ago, Howl said:

I linked to that tweet to give it an upvote and retweet! 

Also because we need it

 

Someone made a version for Star Trek fans, like yours truly:

[JMarie]

2 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

 

If Wilbur Ross died two years ago, he doesn't qualify for a ventilator.  There, that was easy.  One more ventilator going to an actual patient.

[ALM7]

28 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

Blaming:

• WHO - lack of transparency, lying, being politically correct, protecting China
• China - lack of transparency, lying
• Governors -  asking for ventilators and money they didn't need
  • must be held accountable and must take charge.  They need to control boarders, administration will be announcing a date and some states to be open before end of April.  
• He hopes congress can get money to the people, no one can believe how much the American people are getting.

Credit: (aka smoke blowing straight up his ass)

• Trump Administration at his direction - requiring production of more high quality ventilators that we can stock pile in a ventilator reserve program
  • When the supply starts pouring in, which has already started, and will start in less than a month.  Because that's how sentences work.
  • At a level no one can believe, even other countries, big, powerful countries cannot believe what we've been able to do.
• Vice President for reminding task force of resilience of the American people
• Himself for the initial travel ban 
• Random people from hospitals coming up to the mic to thank Trump for his help
• Uh oh - guy from Ohio thanked state as well as federal government...I bet he doesn't get asked back
• The amount of ICU beds we have in this country is the best there is - other countries have less.  (Does he knows this is a large country and beds in one area don't help patients in another region)
• Rutgers processing tests with saliva - "I call it innovation under pressure."
• The very smart financial people, great minds, are looking at stock and saying "wow."  The smart great people have a lot of confidence our economy will be booming soon.
  • Until recently the greatest economy anywhere in the world, and the greatest economy in the history of the world.  And once we get rid of the invisible enemy we'll top those records.
• He will be speaking to each governor soon and will be authorizing them to reopen maybe even before May 1st.  (Trump speak for someone told him he doesn't have constitutional authority over this the way he claimed yesterday.)
• Listing names of companies and orgs he'll be speaking with soon.  Idk why.  "A lot are friends of mine."  Ah, that's why.  Naming more companies.  All the top people.  CEOS, chairman, presidents.
• Amazing oil deal, biggest ever made maybe, thanking Russia and Saudi Arabia.  It will be good for our "energy states."  OPEC Plus.  
• President of Mexico for his dexterity and flexibility (not dirty, but kinda sounded like it.)
• Naming more companies he'll be talking to soon.  Someone please break his phone.  Chuck Schwab will be here by phone.  Why can't he speak?  Oh, Wendys....he wants samples.  "John George and my friend Danielle, you know them"  and Wolfgang Puck.  Big powerful shippers.  Naming more companies and health systems...holy shit this is like sitting through my kids' graduations.  1000+ kids in a graduating class this is just like listing to the names ...blurring together.  All the big ones.  Tech companies, Apple, Google, Oracle, Sales Force, Microsoft, FaceBook, Cisco...he's stumbling on some of the lesser known.  Other countries have to be smart, they can't catch how great our silicon valley is.
• Wants sports back as he's tired of watching ball games that are 14 years old, caught himself immediately and pointed out he barely has time to watch.  Listing names of sports orgs, names I don't recognize...seriously is he doing this just to prove he can read?
• Thought leaders...John Ellison, Condeleeza Rice (great person), lots more yada yada....religious leaders will be coming on Friday...tremendous enthusiasm to meet by great religious leaders who want to be a part.  They will be talking about opening churches.  The best, the smartest, the brightest. 
• Some things will open very shortly, maybe immediately, states will be held accountable.  Fed gov will help but states are accountable for opening.
• Admin taking credit for the Abbot center - even when they didn't need as much as they thought.
• Admin taking credit for the two great ships - will announce the political list tomorrow.

 

Hopes to be substantially under 100k deaths.  Actual projection 2.2 mil people....he's now showing he knows 1.1 million is half of 2.2.  Totally taking credit for fewer deaths ...anything under 2.2 million.

He thinks some governors like him and he likes some of them.  Some day he'll tell us which ones.  Gee, thanks.

If he's unhappy with a state they'll let them know they're unhappy and have to do something that's very serious.  But he doesn't think he'll have to step in - some can come out very shortly and it will be a very beautiful process.  

Always health.  Health and life and living is #1.  His eloquence is breathtaking as always.

The federal government has ventilators, beds, and hospitals if they need them.  They're here to help.

Questions from the press:

• Why is this the time to cut funding to the WHO?  Their mistakes and should have been done by administrations from before.  And WHO is too China-centric.  We give them too much money which is why we're putting a hold on all funds going to WHO, we aren't being treated properly.
• What if governors don't obey?  Would you take away funding?  He won't say because they'll do what they're told because they need us.  And they will be very respectful of the presidency.  Not me, the presidency.  
• Having testing and tracing equipment in place to open up government, Dr, Fauchi said this morning that doesn't exist.  Will it by May 1st?  Trump got touchy, "I don't know what he said.  There is tremendous testing and governors will use whatever is necessary.
• With regards to the WHO, will you reverse if someone (didn't catch name) steps down?  Blah blah other presidents didn't stop - ranting about WTO as well even though off topic.
• How does he square he was saying the same things WHO was months ago?  Now he's talking about his trade deal with China - trade deal, farmers...totally evading question.  He thinks Xi will live up to it.
• You want to blame WHO and people here can't get tested and aren't social distancing ...he cut off the question and guy is fighting to be heard that people were following his lead....called reporter showboat and loudmouth.  Threatened to leave 3x if reporter didn't shut up.
• Didn't hear question, but some states are set to open now, sooner than end of month some states shouldn't be included in shutdown because things are fine.  He won't let states open early if it will be dangerous.  He is providing great testing but states now have to provide great testing.  States should have gotten their own ventilators but fed gov had to do it.
• Didn't hear question - he's respectful of China and is always respectful of other countries.  His voice is going all high the way it does when he's whining and trying to keep normal tone of voice.  Investigation underway with the WHO for the 500 mil we're paying and see if it can be remedied.   Called him on praising china for transparency in January...he's back to the talking point about the china travel ban.  He's pissed and yelling while pretending not to.
• Last week said he would have data on disproportionate corona for black Americans...being looked into very strongly and will have data soon.  He's studying other countries but won't name them because doesn't want to embarrass them.  America is one country, but it's like a puzzle.  He's putting no pressure on governors but some are ready to go now and it's a good thing.
• Cuomo said earlier today if NY was pressured to open he'd take it to court constitutional crisis....Trump going off on how much help Cuomo needed and all the fed government has done for NY.  They get along just fine.
• Can't hear question (why do they always do these with bad acoustics).  Companies can do testing, can do temperature gauging, we want to get back to where we were...doesn't like the way the press corps looks all spread out.  
• Paycheck protection money will run out soon plan to re-up it stalled in Congress?  Stalled by democrats, last time they shoved the Kennedy center in and he didn't want that in (one thing I agree with them on - wtf)  Money will be expired and need a refill for workers so small businesses stay open.
• California governor had list of 6 criteria before opening did he run that by trump?  He won't say but they have a great relationship?
• Question about food supply?  We're doing phenomenally with food and shipping.  Incredibly.
• Question about guidelines?  There will be guidelines even for states opening until the enemy is vanquished.

I listened to this entire thing and need a drink.  Or 7.

 

Dang @HerNameIsBuffy, Thank you for the fast detailed run-down.  Maybe your other calling is investigative journalism.  Of course if you were doing a presser with Trump, you would be referred to as That Woman, and have your mic cut off, Lol. 

Thanks again.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

3 minutes ago, ALM7 said:

Of course if you were doing a presser with Trump, you would be referred to as That Woman, and have your mic cut off, Lol. 

Nah, I'd be referred to as "that female perpetrator" and I'd be fighting against the cuffs as they dragged me out.  

[GreyhoundFan]

14 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

Nah, I'd be referred to as "that female perpetrator" and I'd be fighting against the cuffs as they dragged me out.  

Don't worry, Buffy, I have a bail fund and am only 18 miles away from the DC detention center. I could be there quickly!

[WiseGirl]

1 hour ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

listened to this entire thing and need a drink.  Or 7.

You need 7 bottles of your favorite drink. Thanks for taking one for the team. I don't know how you did it. I can't watch him any more. Even with a written synopsis I'm yelling at him.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

9 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Don't worry, Buffy, I have a bail fund and am only 18 miles away from the DC detention center. I could be there quickly!

I think the real question is why do you have a bail fund?!   

[Ozlsn]

11 hours ago, WiseGirl said:

You now understand why I fill up the swear jar every time he is on. Also I assume the news never cut back to mango moron. Rarely is anything that comes out if his mouth useful to the majority of us.

I think I was somewhere between laughing out loud at the preposterous claims and standing there with my mouth hanging open at how unbelievably awful it was.

And they went back about an hour or so later, pretty much went "still going" and cut away again. My husband was asking why I was laughing so much at that.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

5 minutes ago, WiseGirl said:

You need 7 bottles of your favorite drink. Thanks for taking one for the team. I don't know how you did it. I can't watch him any more. Even with a written synopsis I'm yelling at him.

I used to be a recapper...it's easier to listen to him when I can channel the hate through my fingers.  Kind of like when I'd recap shows starring Jessica Simpson.

[ALM7]

OT [kind of]

https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/what-did-hubble-see-on-your-birthday

I put in today 4/18 (it's from 2006), [not my BD], I think it's an omen, it states...

It is probably the remnant of an earlier merger process that has deformed it, leaving the main body largely obscured by dark bands of dust.

I think Trump and his minions are the dark bands of dust.  He is cosmic, we are so screwed. BTW, on my birth-date, it actually looked like a pic of a virus, now I'm really freaked out Lol.  On a serious note, as a rule, not much bothers me, except Trump, fundamentalist, domestic terrorist [4/19 twenty-five year remembrance is Sunday], and did I mention Trump?  But, this pandemic is absolutely frightening, considering how the Feds are handling it here, how we handle it here, affects the rest of the world too. 

Take care, and I wish all wellness and stability through this crisis.    

Hubble explores the universe 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That means it has observed some fascinating cosmic wonder every day of the year, including on your birthday.

What did Hubble look at on your birthday? Enter the month and date below to find out!

Then share the results with your friends on social media using #Hubble30.

 

Edited April 15, 2020 by ALM7
year is 2006, but still today's m/d

[GreyhoundFan]

1 hour ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

I think the real question is why do you have a bail fund?!   

Well, it’s something a few friends and I started 35+ years ago in college as a “just in case”.  It just sits there, earning interest. We decided that the year we turn 65, we will do something fun with any money in the account. 

[Ozlsn]

11 hours ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

What the fuck are Ivanka's qualifications?

She has a bachelor's degree (cum laude) in economics. Graduated 2001, not sure how common graduate degrees in that field are but in mine she'd have at least one by now. 

She also would be regarded as too inexperienced to be on the high level committees, but she would probably be being mentored on some of the mid-level ones (with a graduate degree. Without one she'd be at her ceiling by now). Her work experience is a couple of years with a real estate firm then straight in as VP in the family business. Nice for some.

23 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Well, it’s something a few friends and I started 35+ years ago in college as a “just in case”.  It just sits there, earning interest. We decided that the year we turn 65, we will do something fun with any money in the account. 

Heh, I'd be tempted to go all out and use the money for the original purpose...

Edited April 15, 2020 by Ozlsn

[AmazonGrace]

Fuckhead thinks a pandemic is a good time to cut the WHO funding. Of course. 

[fraurosena]

Great. He's turned it into yet another Trump vanity project -- and in doing so delaying the payments.

In unprecedented move, Treasury orders Trump’s name printed on stimulus checks

Quote

The Treasury Department has ordered President Trump’s name be printed on stimulus checks the Internal Revenue Service is rushing to send to tens of millions of Americans, a process that could slow their delivery by a few days, senior IRS officials said.

The unprecedented decision, finalized late Monday, means that when recipients open the $1,200 paper checks the IRS is scheduled to begin sending to 70 million Americans in coming days, “President Donald J. Trump” will appear on the left side of the payment.

It will be the first time a president’s name appears on an IRS disbursement, whether a routine refund or one of the handful of checks the government has issued to taxpayers in recent decades either to stimulate a down economy or share the dividends of a strong one.

Treasury officials disputed that the checks would be delayed.

While some people receiving the checks — the centerpiece of the U.S. government’s economic relief package to stave of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic — may not care, or observe, whose name appears on them, the decision is another sign of Trump’s effort to cast his response to the pandemic in political terms.

Trump had privately suggested to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who oversees the IRS, to allow the president to formally sign the checks, according to three administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

But the president is not an authorized signer for legal disbursements by the U.S. Treasury. It is standard practice for a civil servant to sign checks issued by the Treasury Department to ensure that government payments are nonpartisan.

The checks will instead bear Trump’s name in the memo line, below a line that reads, “Economic Impact Payment,” the administration officials said.

The IRS will mail the checks to people for whom it does not have banking information. Many of them have low incomes.

The checks will carry the signature of an official with the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, the Treasury Department division that prints the checks. The checks will follow direct deposits issued in recent days to the bank accounts of about 80 million people. Those payments do not include Trump’s name.

The decision to have the paper checks bear Trump’s name, in the works for weeks, according to a Treasury official, was announced early Tuesday to the IRS’s information technology team. The team, working from home, is now racing to implement a programming change that two senior IRS officials said will probably lead to a delay in issuing the first batch of paper checks. They are scheduled to be sent Thursday to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service for printing and issuing.

Computer code must be changed to include the president’s name, and the system must be tested, these officials said. “Any last minute request like this will create a downstream snarl that will result in a delay,” said Chad Hooper, a quality-control manager who serves as national president of the IRS’s Professional Managers Association.

A Treasury Department representative, however, denied any delay and said the plan all along was to issue the checks next week.

“Economic Impact Payment checks are scheduled to go out on time and exactly as planned—there is absolutely no delay whatsoever,” the representative said in a written statement. She said this was a faster process than the stimulus checks the George W. Bush administration issued in 2008 to head off a looming recession.

“In fact, we expect the first checks to be in the mail early next week which is well in advance of when the first checks went out in 2008 and well in advance of initial estimates,” the statement said.

An IRS representative referred questions to the Treasury Department.

The paper checks are scheduled to be issued at a rate of 5 million each week until September, starting with the lowest-income taxpayers.

The $2 trillion stimulus, the government’s largest and most recent coronavirus rescue package, was passed by a bipartisan Congress and signed by the president. The checks to individual taxpayers were not originally Trump’s idea, but he embraced them after Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah) proposed them.

The White House had initially floated a payroll tax cut as a centerpiece of its stimulus effort but backed off that plan amid concerns it would not reach American households quickly enough.

Trump has repeatedly called the legislation “a Trump administration initiative” and placed himself singularly at the center of what the government is doing to help Americans during the coronavirus response — taking full credit.

About six months before he faces reelection, with his campaign on pause because the virus has prevented him from holding the rallies that are popular with his base, the checks provide Trump with a new form of retail politics. A check provides a touchable, bread-and-butter symbol to taxpayers right in their mailboxes.

But to critics and some IRS employees, many of whom started to learn of the decision on Tuesday, the presence of Trump’s name on the checks reeks of partisanship in a corner of the government that touches all Americans and has, since the Nixon era, steadfastly steered clear of politics. After President Richard Nixon targeted a wide range of “enemy” groups for tax audits, including civil rights groups, reporters and prominent Democrats, Congress enacted laws to ensure that the agency conducts itself apolitically.

“Taxes are supposed to be nonpolitical, and it’s that simple,” said Nina Olson, who stepped down last fall after an 18-year tenure as the National Taxpayer Advocate, leading an arm of the IRS that helps individual taxpayers resolve tax problems, manages clinics for low-income taxpayers and advises the agency on service issues.

“It’s absolutely unprecedented,” Olson said.

She recalled that when the Bush administration delivered economic rebate checks of $300 to $600 to taxpayers in 2001 to share the benefits of a strong economy, the White House asked the IRS to include in a letter to taxpayers a sentence that took credit for “giving you your money back.”

The IRS commissioner at the time refused, Olson recalled, because the move was perceived as too political.

When the Bush administration launched its $168 billion economic stimulus package in 2008, the checks were signed by a treasury official.

Only the IRS commissioner and general counsel are politically appointed. The current, Trump-appointed commissioner, Charles Rettig, a tax attorney confirmed by the Senate in 2018, was appointed to a five-year term designed to carry over into a possible new administration.

Hooper, the president of the Professional Managers Association, said he was appalled by what he called “an abuse of government resources.”

“In this time of need for additional resources,” Hooper said, “anything that takes our focus from getting those checks out the door and hampers the equitable, fair administration of the tax code is not something we can support.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has dismissed suggestions about Trump signing checks or having his name attached. Last week she said the payments should go out as quickly as possible without “waiting for a fancy-Dan letter from the president.”

About 150 million Americans and others are expected to receive the one-time payment. The first wave of recipients includes mainly people who filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return and gave the IRS their direct deposit information.

Under the stimulus plan, single filers earning up to $75,000 a year receive a payment of $1,200. Married couples earning up to $150,000 a year receive a payment of $2,400. Parents receive an additional $500 for each child under 17.

 

Trump blames WHO and freezes funding

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Donald Trump has been condemned for putting countless lives at risk after announcing the US is freezing payments to the World Health Organization (WHO) over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. He accused it of “severely mismanaging and covering up” the threat, even though the WHO declared a public health emergency on 30 January – after which the president continued to hold rallies, play golf and compare the coronavirus to the common flu. It has also emerged that relief cheques to get hard-hit Americans through the crisis are being delayed because Trump wants his name printed on them.

The WHO is indeed facing criticism but Trump’s attacks have been laced with falsehoods and contradictions that are catalogued in Julian Borger’s analysis: “Trump’s turn against the WHO only gathered pace over the past week, as more and more reports emerged of the administration’s own complacent and dysfunctional response.” There has been condemnation across the world of Trump’s action. Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of the Lancet medical journal, said it was “a crime against humanity … Every scientist, every health worker, every citizen must resist and rebel against this appalling betrayal of global solidarity.” Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary general, said now was “not the time” to cut funding or to question errors – a process that should take place “once we have finally turned the page on this epidemic”.

 

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I can't imagine how horrible it must be for Fauci to be in the position he's in right now. He's the country's leading expert on infectious diseases, but has to suck up to a toddleresque narcissistic ignoramus wannabe dictator in order to keep his job and actually get something done and prevent as many people from dying as he can. To top it all off, he has to waste his time standing on the podium listening to the self-aggrandizement and self-congratulatory lies and misinformation Trump spouts in these propagandistic advertorials.

Fauci says the marathon White House coronavirus briefings can be 'really draining' and prevent him from getting back to work

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Dr. Anthony Fauci knows the White House briefings can run too long.

In an interview with the Associated Press, the nation's top infectious disease expert and currently the most trusted face of the coronavirus response acknowledged that while he believed there was a benefit to informing the public during the daily press conferences, that they often ran long and prevented him from going back to work.

Fauci emphasized the importance of his appearances but told AP the length of the briefings was "really draining."

"If I had been able to just make a few comments and then go to work, that would have really been much better," Fauci told the AP. "It isn't the idea of being there and answering questions, which I really think is important for the American public. It's the amount of time."

The White House briefings, scheduled for the evenings, frequently stretch over an hour — Monday's ran for about two and a half. Fauci's comments come after several of Trump's critics have questioned the briefing's benefit, given that the has often contradicted his health experts, attacked reporters, and made overly ambitious promises about timelines and treatments from the podium.

In late March, several major television networks decided to cut away from one of Trump's briefings, and some continue to do so halfway into April.

But many viewers see Fauci's presence at the briefings as a balm; Twitter uses take immediate notice whenever he fails to appear at a coronavirus task force briefing.

A recent Insider poll found that Fauci, along with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, were the two most trusted leaders in America on the coronavirus.

Fauci also told the AP that Trump's new target date of May 1 to reopen the economy is "a bit overly optimistic," and that easing social distancing rules around the country may have to occur on a "rolling basis." He worried that testing and tracing methods were not yet advanced enough to lift all restrictions safely.

"I'll guarantee you, once you start pulling back there will be infections," Fauci told AP. "It's how you deal with the infections that's going count."

 

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Coronavirus testing hits dramatic slowdown in U.S.

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The number of coronavirus tests analyzed each day by commercial labs in the U.S. plummeted by more than 30 percent over the past week, even though new infections are still surging in many states and officials are desperately trying to ramp up testing so the country can reopen.

One reason for the drop-off may be the narrow testing criteria that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last revised in March. The agency’s guidelines prioritize hospitalized patients, health care workers and those thought to be especially vulnerable to the disease, such as the elderly. Health providers have been turning away others in part due to shortages of the swabs used to collect samples.

It’s not clear whether demand has peaked among the groups on the CDC’s priority list. But after being overwhelmed for weeks, commercial labs say they are now sitting with unused testing capacity waiting for samples to arrive.

The continued glitches in the U.S. testing system are threatening to impede attempts to reopen the economy and return to normal life. Expanding testing as much as possible is essential so officials have enough data to determine when it’s safe to lift social distancing measures and allow people to go back to work. Continued testing beyond that point will help officials detect — and stamp out — sparks that could set off new outbreaks.

FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn told POLITICO on Tuesday the White House Coronavirus Task Force is continuing to discuss whether changes to the testing criteria are warranted.

“This is part of an ongoing discussion that we’re having,” he said. “People are working overtime on that one.”

Hahn’s comments came as the American Clinical Laboratory Association reported that the number of samples commercial labs handle each day fell from 108,000 on April 5 to 75,000 by April 12. The group’s members, including commercial giants Quest and LabCorp, analyze about two-thirds of all coronavirus tests in the U.S.

“ACLA members have now eliminated testing backlogs, and have considerable capacity that is not being used,” ACLA President Julie Khani told POLITICO. “We stand ready to perform more testing and are in close communication with public health partners about ways we can support additional needs.”

The Department of Health of Human Services has also seen a downtick in the number of tests analyzed nationwide in recent days, a spokesperson said.

But the Association of Public Health Laboratories said its members, which have been analyzing a smaller portion of coronavirus tests, have not noticed a similar decrease in demand. The American Hospital Association said it is not aware of member hospitals conducting fewer tests, but added “it’s not something we have numbers on.”

Public health experts, including former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, have put forth several plans outlining how the U.S. could reopen, and all agree that the country needs to dramatically increase the number of Americans tested — in part by expanding who is eligible for screening.

Achieving that goal will require a major expansion of lab capacity and the supply of test kits, Gottlieb said last week on Twitter. "Getting next million tests/week will be harder than getting the first," he wrote.

The CDC has not yet responded to questions about whether it is considering changes to its testing criteria.

Vice President Mike Pence told reporters Monday that the government believes that if labs are able to utilize the machines they already have in house “we could double the amount of testing in the United States literally overnight.”

Quest Diagnostics, one of two major U.S. commercial lab companies, told POLITICO it is increasing outreach to health providers to “ensure patients are receiving testing they need.” The lab company, which had a backlog of 160,000 tests as recently as late March, says it now can run 45,000 tests per day and has unused capacity.

But some labs are still struggling with supply shortages that make it difficult to analyze samples. Many medical school labs and teaching hospitals are having trouble getting enough swabs, personal protective equipment and other supplies needed to collect and analyze patient samples, Association of American Medical Colleges CEO David Skorton said Monday in a letter to the White House.