The stringent restrictions in place are “flattening the curve,” but the director of the Centers for Disease Control warned of the possibility of a new outbreak next winter.
Even as states move ahead with plans to reopen their economies, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Tuesday that a second wave of the novel coronavirus will be far more dire because it is likely to coincide with the start of flu season.
“There’s a possibility that the assault of the virus on our nation next winter will actually be even more difficult than the one we just went through,” CDC Director Robert Redfield said in an interview with The Washington Post. “And when I’ve said this to others, they kind of put their head back, they don’t understand what I mean.”
“We’re going to have the flu epidemic and the coronavirus epidemic at the same time,” Redfield said, and having two simultaneous respiratory outbreaks would put unimaginable strain on the health-care system. The first wave of covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has already killed more than 42,000 people across the country. It has overwhelmed hospitals and revealed gaping shortages in test kits, ventilators and protective equipment for health-care workers.
In a wide-ranging interview, Redfield said federal and state officials need to use the coming months to prepare for what lies ahead. As stay-at-home orders are lifted, officials need to stress the continued importance of social distancing. Officials also need to massively scale up their ability to identify the infected through testing and find everyone they interact with through contact tracing. Doing so prevents new cases from becoming larger outbreaks.
Asked about the appropriateness of protests against stay-at-home orders and calls on states to be “liberated” from restrictions, Redfield said: “It’s not helpful.”
Uh-oh, Redfield’s starting to speak truth to power. He’ll be off to the Tower, right behind Fauci.
Yes, it’s risky to question the boss in this administration. Especially when he is wrong.
Credited with more than 18,000 lies since Trump lied when he took the Oath of Office, has Trump ever told the truth about anything?
I think that if he actually tried to tell the truth, he’d have a stroke and his brain would explode.
I do not think he is fully aware of what his actions do when he says something and it is far from the truth. Look at the concept when he said everything would be open before Easter and that was not the case. The healthcare industry as a whole is struggling. It is short staffed and short on NECESSARY supplies. No one was prepared for this pandemic; but the thought of the world having a new outbreak within this year- I have no words to describe how much our brains are trying to process this with the amount of deaths we have had already.
Trump doesn’t hear the governors calling for help. Will he see or hear the nurses? I wouldn’t count on it. HIs magnificent wondrous gut wouldn’t approve.
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Nurses fight for protective gear in front of White House
April 21, 2020 | 3:01 PM EDT
Wearing face masks and standing six feet apart, nurses gathered in front of the White House on April 21, to read aloud the names of healthcare workers who died of the coronavirus.
https://wapo.st/3aqyTqe
While I don’t support those trying to minimize evaluation of the impact of the virus, to be fair, projections months ahead depend on variables whose values we can’t possibly assess right now. At that time more effective treatments may have been developed, manufacture of protective equipment & disinfectants for both medical personnel & the public will have caught up with the demand, there will almost certainly be available better access to widespread testing; faster tests, as well as more efficient systems for administering them, may have been developed,
While the uncertainty of all those variables may result in future circumstances being as, or more, difficult as current conditions. we don’t really know. It’s also not helpful to promote fearful projections whose probabilities are unknown; such highly speculative statements can actually have an adverse impact on the credibility of those who advise caution.
It’s all panic, all the time.
Some of the covid 19 commentary is over the top, but have you read the “open it back up!” folks?
They’re predicting civil unrest, long term economic devastation and the end of civil liberties, along with increases in mortality from untreated non-covid disease and rampant child abuse, depression and other mental illness.
They’re selling “open it back up!” with fear too.
To be fair, we already have economic devastation that nobody has seen in 80-90 years. Next jobs report it will get worse, maybe close to 30 million new unemployment claims in just four weeks. People shut in their homes by order of law with no income or prospects will always panic.
FLERP!: A friend who lives in Miami told me that in Florida people are being evicted from their homes, even though it is now against the law to do so. The courts are closed and these people have no legal recourse.
It astounds me that people are being treated this way. I read that Jared is evicting people from their slum existence in Baltimore.
Homeless on the streets and no food. Great country…but the wealthy are being taken care of very well by the stimulus.
Another problem is the loudest voices on the “open it back up” side seem to belong to complete idiots.
The term of choice for the protesters carrying weapons is COVIDIOTS.
Lenny,
I agree with you. At this point, no one really knows what the situation will be in a month, two months, or longer.
I have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). I once came back from a conference with what was later diagnosed as “walking pneumonia.”
A good friend who is a veterarian has purchased a device to give me an early warning of possible trouble for either the flu or Covid-19, based in part on this article.
Please NOTE: This has nothing to do with speculation about some return of the virus in the fall because I am already in death-defying mode, just like many other elders.
My outlook and prospects have nothing to do with speculation about a return to of the virus in the fall.
I have COPD, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. I once attended a four day conference and returned with what my MD called walking pneumonia.
I am paying attention to recommendations from my surrogate medical advisor, a veterinarian, who has purchased this instrument for me. It that may give an early warning of trouble.
Like many other elders, I take each day as it comes and am grateful if am reasonably mobile, not yet blind or deaf, can breathe and offer a comment or two on this and other moderated blogs.
This is an interesting article. My husband just ordered a pulse oximeter. It is a good idea for older people to have one of these just in case.
Do a web search and look at who is funding and organizing the Covidiots absurd “reopen” protests. You will not be surprised. The men/money behind the curtain view the Covidiots the same way they view the rest of us, as commodities to be exploited and then disposed of when used up or broken.
Jon: Some people are not very smart. These protestors on the Boise capital grounds are standing next to each other and none are wearing masks. This is one example of why this country will continue to have more deaths and illnesses.
One sign: “SHUTDOWN IS WORSE THAN COVID-19.
Idaho conservatives defy COVID-19 stay-at-home order and rally at capitol
Read more here: https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article242185291.html?#storylink=cpy
https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/coronavirus/article242104966.html
Please name them! I have tried looking but can only find information from individual states. The organization of this is way more than these people are able to handle on their own and I can’t figure out how these protests are gaining momentum so quickly.
I’m very sad for readers, here from Georgia (I love Atlanta–a beautiful city, full of wonderful people). Your not-really-an-elected-governor-due-to-rampant-voter-suppression-&-election-fraud has decided (not consulting with the mayors of cities, health experts or anyone of any consequence, for that matter) after just having closed the state–what–a week ago? (because he “didn’t know people w/ coronavirus could be asymptomatic”!!!) is reopening businesses–first to open–get this!–tatoo & massage parlors, beauty salons & bowling alleys. &, then, next week, restaurants & movie theaters!
Yay–get out of the house at last & enjoy some good food & entertainment & get yourself a tatoo!
Atlanta, BTW, has a growing # of cases, The mayor was shocked to learn of the state reopening. You can bet if he/she attempts to enforce stay-at-home in the city, there’ll be protesters in the streets. I was just watching Democracy Now!: cery, very frightening protests, w/armed people riding in cars, guns sticking out & marching down the streets, armed. Police weren’t stopping them.
Ironically, yesterday night (& HBO reran it tonight), the last episode of Philip Roth’s The Plot Against America aired. The novel, at the time, seemed unreal. People in the streets, w/guns, firebombing, all kinds of violence. Police weren’t stopping them.
If you did not see it & can, do watch it, if you have HBOGo or HBO OnDemand.
Presumably the people in massage parlors. Barber shops, beauty salons, etc.will remain 6’ apart.
Diane: How realistic is 6 feet apart in a bowling alley or a beauty salon? I viewed a video of protestors in Boise. They had no qualms about standing next to each other with no masks.
“Opening up a state’ will further encourage people to no longer even think about the damage they will do to each other.
Trump was asked about the protestors in his daily briefing and he said “If you can believe it, the protesters are maintaining social distance, six feet apart.”
Lawrence O’Donnell showed that clip, then showed the protesters, who were close together. His conclusion: when Trump says, “if you can believe it,” don’t believe it.
Whenever I go bowling (which is not very often, for a reason that will soon be apparent) , the pins and my bowling ball usually remain 6 feet apart.
How do you get a massage and maintain social distance?
Just a FYI. The terms “masseuse” and “massage parlor” can have unwarranted and outdated sexual connotations. Massage therapy is an important therapeutic application that helps many people. The terms to use are “Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT)” and LMTs work in Spas, Wellness Centers or private business offices. Thank you!
Utah is having “opening up” protests when Utah never even fully closed down! These protestors don’t know what they’re talking about.
That’s easy. The person who is getting the massage lies down inside one of these glove boxes
Tattoos work the same way.
And also hair cutting and dentistry.
It also offers protection to the massage therapist if the client happens to be radioactive.
It might not work for the other type of “massage” , but maybe it could be modified.
My guess is that there will be an upswing in deaths and illnesses due to the negligence of governors and Trump.[Does Georgia really need more tattoo parlors, bowing alleys and movie theaters to open?] Trump isn’t leading but is putting blame on others…governors, Democrats in Congress, China and WHO. He is cheerleading to get this country open. He is turning into the Orange Darth Vader.
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Wednesday, April 22, 2020 1:00 am
Fears about reopening too soon
Business owners in US leery about COVID-19 risks
Associated Press
Spain called off the Running of the Bulls in July, the U.S. scrapped the national spelling bee in June and Germany canceled Oktoberfest five months away, making it clear Tuesday that the effort to beat back the coronavirus and return to normal could be a long and dispiriting process.
Amid growing impatience over the shutdowns that have thrown tens of millions out of work, European countries continued to reopen in stages, while in the U.S., one state after another – mostly ones led by Republican governors – began taking steps to get back to business.
U.S. business owners who got the go-ahead weighed whether to reopen, and some hesitated, in a sign that commerce won’t necessarily bounce back right away.
Mark Lebos, owner of Strong Gym in Savannah, Georgia, where Gov. Brian Kemp announced that gyms and salons can reopen this week, said it would be professional negligence to do so.
“We are not going to be a vector of death and suffering,” he said.
Ronique Holloway, who owns a hair salon in Smyrna, Georgia, said she would have preferred to wait until at least the end of May to reopen but is going back now “because I don’t have a choice. I have to feed my daughter.”
With deaths and infections still rising around the world, the push to reopen has set off warnings from health authorities that the crisis that has killed well over 170,000 people globally – including more than 42,000 in the U.S. – is far from over and that relaxing the stay-at-home orders too quickly could enable the virus to come surging back.
The crisis hit home at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, which laid off 153 workers.
Events canceled
In Europe, meanwhile, Denmark, Austria, Spain and Germany began allowing some people back to work, including hairdressers, dentists and construction workers, and some stores were cleared to reopen or will soon get the OK. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said the government will be watching carefully and will “pull the emergency brake” if necessary.
Spain, among the worst-hit countries, will begin allowing children out of their homes for brief periods Monday. Denmark’s Tivoli Gardens, the Copenhagen amusement park that inspired Walt Disney, will reopen May 11.
But in an indication that it will be a long time before life returns to normal, Spain canceled its Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, the more than 400-year-old event made famous by Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel “The Sun Also Rises.” It was also called off during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee in the U.S. was canceled. The competition has been held since 1925 and was last scrubbed in 1945, during World War II.
Germany called off the centuries-old Oktoberfest in Munich, which draws about 6 million visitors each year. It was previously canceled during the two world wars; during a period of hyperinflation in Germany in 1923; and twice because of cholera outbreaks in the 1800s.
“We agreed that the risk is simply too high,” Bavarian governor Markus Soeder said.
In Italy, Premier Giuseppe Conte confirmed that businesses can start reopening May 4 but dashed any hopes of a full end to the country’s strict lockdown any time soon, saying: “A decision of that kind would be irresponsible.”
Protests in US
In the U.S., some states, including Tennessee, West Virginia and Colorado, announced plans this week to begin reopening in stages in the coming days. Sunbathers quickly flocked to the sand after some South Carolina beaches reopened with the governor’s backing.
Political tensions were high.
Some sheriffs in Washington state, Michigan and Wisconsin said they won’t enforce stay-at-home orders. Angry protesters demanding the lifting of restrictions marched in Alabama, North Carolina and Missouri with signs like “Enough is enough.” And Wisconsin Republicans asked the state’s high court to block an extension of the stay-at-home order there.
During an online ceremony Tuesday to donate masks, ventilators and other desperately needed medical supplies to hard-hit New York City, Chinese Consul-General Huang Ping indirectly appealed to President Donald Trump to tone down his recent rhetoric against the Asian country where the virus emerged.
After weeks of elaborate praise of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s response to the pandemic, Trump has turned to blaming China and halting U.S. contributions to the World Health Organization, accusing it of parroting misinformation from Beijing.
“This is not the time for finger-pointing,”Huang said. “This is the time for solidarity, collaboration, cooperation and mutual support.”
Trump, meanwhile, said he had a “very productive” meeting with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo at the White House on Tuesday during which they discussed how they could work to expand screening “with the goal of doubling testing” in New York in the next few weeks.
The meeting marks a sharp shift in rhetoric between the politicians. Days earlier, Trump had called on Cuomo to work harder to secure testing material for his state, while Cuomo pushed back that the president should turn off his television and get back to work.
US Lockdown: Three Brothers Appear to Be Behind Online Network of Far-Right Gun Owners Calling for Protests
By Isaac Stanley-Becker and Tony Romm, The Independent
21 April 20
Groups have more than 200,000 members combined, and they continue to expand quickly, days after Donald Trump endorsed such protests by suggesting citizens should ‘liberate’ their states
trio of far-right, pro-gun provocateurs is behind some of the largest Facebook groups calling for anti-quarantine protests across the country, offering the latest illustration that some seemingly organic demonstrations are being engineered by a network of conservative activists.
The Facebook groups target Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York, and they appear to be the work of Ben Dorr, the political director of a group called Minnesota Gun Rights, and his siblings Christopher and Aaron. By Sunday, the groups had more than 200,000 members combined, and they continued to expand quickly, days after President Donald Trump endorsed such protests by suggesting citizens should “liberate” their states.
The online activity implies that opposition to the restrictions is more widespread than polling suggests. Nearly 70 per cent of Republicans said they supported a national stay-home order, according to a recent Quinnipiac poll. Ninety-five per cent of Democrats backed such a measure in the survey.
The Facebook groups have become digital hubs for the same sort of misinformation spouted in recent days at state capitols – from comparing the virus to the flu to questioning the intentions of scientists working on a vaccine.
Public health experts say stay-home orders are necessary to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has killed more than 35,000 people in the United States. The Trump administration last week outlined three phases for states to reopen safely – guidelines contradicted by the president when he urged citizens to rise up against the rules that heed the recommendations of his public-health advisers.
“If people feel that way, you’re allowed to protest,” Trump said Sunday. “Some governors have gone too far, some of the things that happened are maybe not so appropriate.”…
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-coronavirus-lockdown-protests-far-right-guns-facebook-groups-a9473756.html
I mentioned that smaller, rural districts in Ohio sometimes close for the seasonal flu- it seems to be indicated when 20% of students are out sick.
Here’s an example of that from last year:
“WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio (WSYX/WTTE) — With hundreds of kids forced to stay home, several districts are closing for cleaning.
Washington Court House City Schools are going on a third week with about 20% of the student body out sick. On Thursday, cleaning crews went to work, hoping to stop the spread of the flu and other illnesses going around.
Miami Trace Local Schools, also in Fayette County, closed for a deep clean earlier this month. Now, several other districts are closing along with Washington Court House City Schools.”
“Closing school and canceling all sporting events and practices throughout the weekend is meant to give students and staff a break from each other as well.
“With weakened immune systems, students are coming back from one illness and then picking up something else,” Bailey said.
It’s not the coronavirus – these schools just close for a couple of days- but we’re not COMPLETELY unfamiliar with how to do this.
https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/school-districts-across-ohio-are-closing-due-to-flu-and-other-illnesses
Conservative lobbying group that works to abolish public schools uses coronavirus as an excuse to propose abolishing public schools:
“Many parents and guardians who now find themselves in charge of teaching and monitoring their children’s educations are unable to access the public schools they pay for through their taxes and are looking for continuity in their children’s education. States should immediately restructure per-pupil K–12 education funding to provide education savings accounts (ESAs) to families, enabling them to access their child’s share of state per-pupil funding to pay for online courses, online tutors, curriculum, and textbooks so that their children can continue learning. Students are currently unable to enter the K–12 public schools their parents’ taxes support. They should be able to access a portion of those funds for the remainder of the school year in the form of an ESA. Parents would receive a portion of their child’s per-pupil public school funding in a restricted-use account that they could then can use to pay for any education-related service, product, or provider of choice. Additionally, state restrictions on teacher certification should be lifted immediately to free the supply of online teachers and tutors, allowing anyone with a bachelor’s degree to provide K–12 instruction online.”
https://www.coronaviruscommission.com/recommendations
The goal is now and has always been to get rid of public schools. The rest is just marketing.
I’ve kind of settled on an approach to this thing and it involves a decision. While some of the medical and scientific experts predictions have been not accurate (as I understand them- I recognize that “models” aren’t straight predictions so perhaps ‘accurate’ is the wrong word) as a non-expert I have a choice- I can either trust 1. a group of angry protesters who are led by political operatives and who have no expertise at all OR I can go with 2. medical and scientific experts (who are of course fallible).
I’m just going with Team 2 🙂
Not a perfect situation but given my choices the best I can do.
The fatality estimates coming from epidemiologists are really “projections” or ” conditional predictions”, predictions which depend on a certain set of circumstances happening.
For example, with a particular model, one might make one projection that assumes people will just go about their daily lives as they ordinarily do, with no lockdowns, social distancing , masks or any other changes to reduce virus spread.
Or one could make another projection that assumes lockdowns, social distancing, etc.
In addition, a particular model has to “build in” stuff like fatality rate.
Projections are not really intended to be forecasts in the usual sense because they might be highly dependent on stuff like government policies which the epidemiologists have little or no control over.
In fact, normally such projections are meant to act to inform policymaking to help officials decide which approach might be “best” (or least bad, in this case).
And all of the projections for the case of corona virus are highly uncertain EVEN for the particular very specific scenarios they assume because of basic uncertainty about stuff like fatality rate ( % who die after becoming infected).
THIS
“This is not the time for finger-pointing,”Huang said. “This is the time for solidarity, collaboration, cooperation and mutual support.”
A sisyphean task at best, getting a “puppy” to let-go of it’s favorite chew toy-
FINGER POINTING
It’s fake news.
It’s the dems.
It’s China.
It’s fox news.
It’s the repubs.
It’s Russia.
It’s Chuck and Nancy.
It’s Mitch and Rush.
It’s voter supression.
It’s voter incompetence.
It’s the DNC.
It’s the RNC.
Reducing the “conflict” to a finger-pointing “It’s not us” sophistry, staged in the
universe of semantic gymnastics, has yet to produce the solidarity, needed to
oppose the conscription of the many by the few.
I’d guess that Canada is doing a much better job of helping its people that the US is. We only have to help people who make over a million dollars a year. There isn’t money to help anyone else. I’m still waiting for my $1,200 check that comes ONCE.
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Trudeau’s daily coronavirus briefing: A new emergency fund for students [Full Transcript]
The $9 billion fund, announced by the PM on April 22, will provide eligible students with $1,250 per month from May to August. ‘In Canada, we look out for each other.’
So we’re going to do the same for them. Many students are eligible for new programs we’ve brought in over the last few weeks. Many students will get the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. But others won’t. And that leaves some young people worried about what they’re going to do. COVID-19 has meant that there aren’t just many jobs out there for students, and without a job, it can be hard to pay for tuition or the day to day basics. You might normally have turned to your parents for help. But right now, mom and dad are stretched too. And even if monthly bills aren’t the concern, you may have been counting on the summer job for next year’s tuition or to get the right experience for your career.
READ MORE: The doomed 30-year battle to stop a pandemic
As young people, what you’re going through matters. We want to make sure that you’ll be OK. So today I’m announcing our plan to support students right across the country. We’re launching the Canada Emergency Student Benefit to provide immediate help. At the same time, we will create new student jobs and double student grants, among other things. All of these measures will add up to approximately $9 billion for students.
For today, for the summer, for next year, we’re gonna be there for you. So let me start with the Canada Emergency Student Benefit. Right now, you might be worried about how to make ends meet. You probably can’t work your normal job. And that might be a big problem for rent or for groceries. So we’re bringing in the Canada Emergency Student Benefit to help. With this benefit you’ll get $1,250 a month from May to August. And if you take care of someone else or have a disability, that amount will go up to $1,750 each month. This benefit is designed for you.
If you’re a post-secondary student right now, if you’re going to college in September or if you graduated in December 2019, it’s there for you even if you have a job but you’re only making up to a $1,000 a month. The period covered by the benefit will start on May 1st and your payments will be delivered through the Canada Revenue Agency. We’ll be working with opposition parties to move forward on legislation to put this new benefit in place….
https://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/trudeaus-daily-coronavirus-briefing-a-new-emergency-fund-for-students-full-transcript/
The Trump administration doesn’t believe that anyone needs help. The GOP philosophy is that God helps those who help themselves.
Thom Hartmann’s blog
Will The Billionaires Get A Twofer?
Right wing billionaires behind groups like ALEC and Freedomworks helped organize and fund tea party protests a decade ago, resulting in a healthcare program with no public option. Now they are funding hard-core right wing groups who are demanding governors stop protecting their citizens from the coronavirus. These billionaire funded groups are on the same page as billionaire owned Fox News. But, why?
If governors “rip off the bandage” it will cause hundreds of thousands or even millions of deaths, although those deaths will be most heavily concentrated among communities of color, poor whites and Hispanics, and elderly people. These are the groups that rely heavily on government funded programs like Medicare, food stamps, and housing subsidies – all things that are paid for, in part, by taxes on billionaires.
These billionaires also, in large part, got their riches through economic activity. So it appears this effort may produce a twofer for these right wing billionaires: the “expensive” people die off so it’s easier to cut billionaire’s taxes, and even if massive numbers of workers get sick and die there will always be more poor people willing to come into the workforce to make more money for the billionaires. Heads they win, tails you lose.
-Thom
On Monday, the IRS quietly released this urgent “special alert,” informing some of the lowest-income Social Security beneficiaries, those who have too little income to file income tax returns, that they will have less than 48 hours to register their eligible children for the additional $500 coronavirus supplemental cash payment. The lowest-income beneficiaries, people receiving Social Security retirement, survivor or disability benefits (SSDI), Railroad Retirement benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Veterans Affairs payments, have just one day to prevent having a portion of those payments—the $500 payments for dependent children—delayed until 2021!
These emergency payments were supposed to go out quickly to every American, including the more than 60 million Social Security beneficiaries whose age or disabilities put them most at risk of COVID-19 infection. Making it even worse, the Trump administration is requiring that they provide this information online—never mind that many of them do not have computers or internet service and are supposed to be sheltering in place. They’re supposed to go enter the information on this special, non-filers website, the information that the government already has.
This stuff is coming from a far R rag, sent to me by a friend who told me that she doesn’t like Trump bashing.
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Barr further warned the damage that the U.S. response to the pandemic was doing to Americans’ livelihoods was beginning to surpass the damage done by the virus itself.
AG Barr Issues Dire Warning To Governors
by The Patriotic Times
9 minutes ago
189Views
Photo Via AP
Attorney General William Barr announced on Tuesday that the Justice Department may intervene in lawsuits against states over coronavirus lockdowns that infringed on people’s rights.
Barr said Tuesday that the federal government would be reviewing lawsuits filed against states over their coronavirus regulations to determine whether each is warranted or not. In certain cases, the Justice Department may file a brief supporting a lawsuit alleging that the state had violated someone’s rights unjustly while combatting the pathogen.
“If people bring those lawsuits, we’ll take a look at it at that time,” Barr told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt in the Tuesday interview. “If we think it’s, you know, justified, we would take a position. That’s what we’re doing now.”
“We’re looking carefully at a number of these rules that are being put into place, and if we think one goes too far, we initially try to jawbone the governors into rolling them back or adjusting them. And if they’re not and people bring lawsuits, we file statement of interest and side with the plaintiffs,” the attorney general continued.
image.png
Governors are currently drawing up plans for when and how their states will re-open. The Justice Department will likely give governors some time to adapt before weighing in on individual lawsuits.
While some states have done a good job of maintaining constitutional freedoms while taking necessary health precautions, some governors have let the power get to their heads, turning them into autocratic dictators of sort.
Mass Protests have broken out across several states such as California, Maryland, Michigan, and Pennsylvania over the state’s overly restrictive lockdown measures.
The lockdown orders have contributed to nearly 22 million applications for unemployment insurance filed in the past month, representing the massive toll the virus has taken on the U.S. economy.
President Trump on Tuesday furthered his defense of protestors who have showed up at state capitols and governors mansions demanding that they be able to return to work.
Photo Via AP
“They want to get back to work,” Trump told reporters during his daily coronavirus task force briefing at the White House. “They have to take care of their families. They don’t want to do this.”
“People… they need money. They need help,” Trump said. “And we can’t break our country over this.”
Trump gave protesters in three states a boost over the weekend when he tweeted out in support of them.
“LIBERATE MINNESOTA!” “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” “LIBERATE VIRGINIA,”the president said in three separate tweets.
President Trump Tuesday said that he wants to see the governors – more in tune with their states current environment – handling the individual re-openings.
“The governors, I want them to do it. If we see they are doing something we don’t like, we’ll stop it very quickly,” he added. “Some of the governors frankly, they’re in a position where they can do it sooner or they can do it a little bit later.”
Barr further warned the damage that the U.S. response to the pandemic was doing to Americans’ livelihoods was beginning to surpass the damage done by the virus itself.
“These are unprecedented burdens on civil liberties right now. You know, the idea that you have to stay in your house is disturbingly close to house arrest,” Barr said. “I’m not saying it wasn’t justified. I’m not saying in some places it might still be justified. But it’s very onerous, as is shutting down your livelihood.”
Some states – Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina – have already committed to allowing certain businesses to resume operations.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster issued an executive order Monday to allow some businesses to immediately reopen.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp will allow certain establishments – including hair and nail salons where social distancing is all but impossible – to open Friday. Restaurants in the state can resume dine-in services beginning Monday.
Carol,
You will enjoy this sing-along.
Diane: FANTASTIC SONG! The liar Tweets tonight!!
“Vote him away!!!”
My opinion of AG Barr is about the same as my opinion of Trump, Pence, and Kemp.
COVIDIOTS.
I got this from a Canadian friend. [Trump is SO loved.]
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One night, Donald Trump is visited by three ghosts
Early in the night, the ghost of FDR appears.
Trump asks him, “How can I make America great again?”
FDR says, “Think only of the people; don’t promote hate & bigotry.
Trump sneers and goes back to sleep.
A few hours later, he is awakened by George Washington’s ghost
Trump asks, “How can I make America great again?”
Washington replies, “Never tell a lie.”
Trump laughs and goes back to sleep.
At 3 in the morning, he is visited by the ghost of Abraham Lincoln.
Again, Trump asks, “How can I make America great again?”
Lincoln responds, “Go to the theatre.”
LOL!
Great poem.
Should be required reading for every child stuck at home being taught by their teachers through the internet. Imagine the discussions.
The Dotard knows exactly how wonderful he is. [Read this before eating. Nobody should throw up on a full stomach.] Trump’s favorite word is, “I”.
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LIKE A SMART PERSON
“You know, I’m, like, a smart person.” “I am a really smart guy.” “I’ve been known as being a very smart guy for a long time.” “I have a very good brain and I’ve said a lot of things.” “I’m intelligent. Some people would say I’m very, very, very intelligent.” “And then people say oh, is he a smart person? I’m smarter than all of them put together, but they can’t admit it.” “My IQ is one of the highest — and you all know it! Please don’t feel so stupid or insecure; it’s not your fault.” “My two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart…. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star, to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius….and a very stable genius at that!”
A GREAT ATHLETE
“I was the best baseball player in New York when I was young.” “I always knew I was good. I was always good at it. I was the best athlete.” “I was always the best athlete, people don’t know that.” “I’ve won many club championships and I was always the best athlete.” “Always the best player. Not only baseball, but every other sport too.” “I was good at wrestling. I was really good at football. I was always good at sports. I was always the best at sports.” “I had it [innate ability]. I always had it.” “I like being a great athlete.”
ATTRACTIVE
“My fingers are long and beautiful, as, it has been well documented, are various other parts of my body.” “All of the women on The Apprentice flirted with me – consciously or unconsciously. That’s to be expected.” “I’m so good looking.” “I feel like a supermodel except, like, times 10, OK? It’s true. I’m a supermodel.” “Do I look a president? How handsome am I, right? How handsome?”
RICH AND SUCCESSFUL
“The beauty of me is that I’m very rich.” “I have made myself very rich.” “I was always the best at what I did.” “I don’t think I’ve made mistakes.” “Everything I’ve done virtually has been a tremendous success.” “I was successful, successful, successful.” “I’m the most successful person ever to run for the presidency, by far. Nobody’s ever been more successful than me.” “I’ve been, you know, pretty successful in the courts over the years, I’ve been a very successful person, you can check — USA Today said, ‘he does great in the courts’ OK?” “If you don’t tell people about your success, they probably won’t know about it.”
A NICE PERSON WITH GREAT TEMPERAMENT
“I had some beautiful pictures taken in which I had a big smile on my face. I looked happy, I looked content, I looked like a very nice person, which in theory I am.” “I think I am a nice person.” “I’m actually a nice person.” “I have a strong temperament.” “I think I have a great temperament.” “I have a great temperament. My temperament is very good, very calm.” “I think I’m a sober person… I’m a very sober person.”
RAN A FLAWLESS CAMPAIGN
“I’ve had a beautiful, I’ve had a flawless campaign.” “I won an election that should never be won, because the Electoral College is far harder to win than the popular vote. The popular vote, for me, would have been much easier.”
MOST RESPECTFUL OF WOMEN AND ‘THE BLACKS’
“I have more respect for women by far than Hillary Clinton has.” “Nobody respects women more than me.” “I was the one that really broke the glass ceiling on behalf of women more than anybody in the construction industry.” “There’s nobody who has done more for equality than I have.” “Number one, I am the least anti-Semitic person that you’ve ever seen in your entire life. Number two, racism, the least racist person.” “I am the least racist person that you have ever met.” “I am the least racist person that you’ve ever encountered.” “I am the least racist person, the least racist person that you’ve ever seen, the least.” “I have a great relationship with the blacks.” “I have a great relationship with African Americans, as you possibly have heard. I just have great respect for them. And they like me. I like them.” “And did you know my name is in more black songs than any other name in hip-hop? Black entertainers love Donald Trump.” “And at the end of four years, I guarantee you, that I will get over ninety-five percent of the African-American vote. I promise you.”
MULTI-TALENTED & KNOWLEDGEABLE
“I build the best buildings.” “Nobody builds walls better than me.” “I created maybe the greatest brand.” “Trump Steaks are the world’s greatest steaks.” “I have the best [golf] courses in the world.” “My Twitter has become so powerful that I can actually make my enemies tell the truth.” “I know all about knives and belt buckles.” “And I know more about wedges than any human being that’s ever lived.” “I know more about [campaign] contributions than anybody.” “Nobody has better toys than I do.” “Nobody loves the Bible better than I do.” “I’m the king of debt. I understand debt better than probably anybody.” “Nobody knows more about debt than I do.” “I think nobody knows more about taxes than I do, maybe in the history of the world. Nobody knows more about taxes.” “Nobody knows more about taxes than I do — and income than I do.” “I know the details of taxes better than anybody. Better than the greatest C.P.A.” “Nobody even understands it but me. It’s called devaluation.” “Nobody knows more about trade than me.” “I’m really a great negotiator. I know how to negotiate.” “Deals are my art form. I like making deals, preferably big deals.” “Nobody knows banking better than I do” “I understand money better than anybody.” “I know the details of health care better than most, better than most.” “I know more about the big bills than any president that’s ever been in office.” “I know the H1B. I know the H2B. Nobody knows it better than me.” “I know the best people.” “I know the smartest negotiators in the world. I know the good ones. I know the bad ones. I know the overrated ones.” “I’m really good at war.” “I know more about ISIS than the generals do. Believe me.” “Nobody would be tougher on ISIS than Donald Trump.” “Nobody is bigger or better at the military than I am.” “I know more about offense and defense than they will ever understand.” “There’s nobody that understands the horror of nuclear better than me.” “Nobody is fighting for the veterans like I’m fighting for the veterans.” “Nobody’s better to people with disabilities than me.” “There’s nobody more pro-Israel than I am.” “Nobody knows jobs like I do!” “Nobody knows politicians better than I do.” “Nobody knows the game better than I do.” “Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it.” “Nobody in the history of this country has ever known so much about infrastructure as Donald Trump.” “I know more about renewables than any human being on Earth.” “Nobody’s ever had crowds like [I’ve] had.” “Nobody can do it like me. Nobody. Nobody can do it like me, honestly.” “Nobody is stronger than me.” “It’s all because of me.” “I know words. I have the best words.”
MODEST
“I think I am actually humble. I think I’m much more humble than you would understand.”
– Donald Trump