Thursday, April 30, 2020
Quid Pro Pandemic
Washington Post: We’re all Zelensky now By Catherine Rampell
Do us a favor though: Before we provide lifesaving equipment, praise the president.
Contradicts
Hey, when all else fails for Trump as it has, why not try starting up a war with China.
CNN: Trump contradicts US intel community by claiming he's seen evidence coronavirus originated in Chinese lab By Zachary Cohen, Alex Marquardt, Kylie Atwood and Jim Acosta
CNN: Trump contradicts US intel community by claiming he's seen evidence coronavirus originated in Chinese lab By Zachary Cohen, Alex Marquardt, Kylie Atwood and Jim Acosta
To The Moon
Axios: Three companies move forward in bid to bring astronauts to the Moon by Miriam Kramer
NASA is moving forward with its plans to send humans back to the surface of the Moon by 2024...
Kamala
Washington Post: There’s one front-runner for Biden’s VP — regardless of what Jim Clyburn thinks By Jennifer Rubin
...I would suggest Clyburn’s remarks do not make it any less likely he will pick an African American — Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.), specifically.
Pricey
I was checking Amazon to see if my new track 'Hobo' which is scheduled to be released on May 8th was appearing on the site. While I'm doing that I stumble across this, it's a CD I put out in 2010, nice CD, but seems a little pricey to me....I have no idea why this is there.
Ban
Guardian UK: States use coronavirus to ban abortions, leaving women desperate: ‘You can’t pause a pregnancy’ - Eight US states have worked to try and halt abortions entirely during the pandemic as clinics report a rise in demand
(Texas) Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia have all seen confusion and intermittent bans as anti-abortion state politicians categorized abortion services as non-essential, and included abortion clinics in bans on elective surgical procedures.
Labor Market Analysis
Washington Post: How the pandemic consumed the labor market By Andrew Van Dam
Week 2, March 22 to 28: The producers (Highest week-to-week change included: manufacturing; construction; retail)
The Market On Thursday
Good morning. At 8:00 a.m. ET DOW futures are -60. The market is poised to open moderately lower.
CNN: Shell cuts dividend for first time since World War II as oil demand collapses By Hanna Ziady
CNN: Shell cuts dividend for first time since World War II as oil demand collapses By Hanna Ziady
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
O.F.F.S.
O.F.F.S. is 'oh for f**k's sake'. I mean seriously, is this the tackiest, most loathsome, money grubbing worst thing ever? The site is not connected with the actual White House although it does appear to be a Trump supporter site.
The Daily Beast: ‘White House’ Shop Sells the Gift No One Asked for: $100 COVID-19 Commemorative Coins - MONEY NOT WELL SPENT by Rachel Olding
The Daily Beast: ‘White House’ Shop Sells the Gift No One Asked for: $100 COVID-19 Commemorative Coins - MONEY NOT WELL SPENT by Rachel Olding
In a sales pitch that absolutely no one has asked for, the White House Gift Shop is selling COVID-19 commemorative coins, emblazoned with slogans like “World vs The Unseen Enemy” and “Everyday HEROES Suited Up.”
Governors
Salon: Back to the future: Governors outflank Trump with a new Articles of Confederation - Governors are doing their best to escape our performance-art president. But there's a reason we have a constitution by Heather Digby Parton
Because of the lack of national leadership, governors are forming regional compacts in order to try to facilitate a response that makes sense.
Too Stupid
There's a pay wall up around this article. The little bit that you can read for free is spot on.
The Daily Beast: Trump’s Too Stupid to Do Better. McConnell and His Republicans Have No Excuse. NOBLE PRIZE LOSERS - They understand the state of the crisis and the stakes. They just don’t seem to care, so long as those deaths are slow enough that they don’t get in the way of November. by Rick Wilson
The Daily Beast: Trump’s Too Stupid to Do Better. McConnell and His Republicans Have No Excuse. NOBLE PRIZE LOSERS - They understand the state of the crisis and the stakes. They just don’t seem to care, so long as those deaths are slow enough that they don’t get in the way of November. by Rick Wilson
Unravel
Guardian UK:
Trump is unravelling – even his supporters can't ignore it now by Arwa Mahdawi
The tide now seems to have turned. Recent polls show that most Americans are unimpressed with Trump’s handling of the crisis. This includes conservatives: a Siena College poll released on Monday found that 56% of Republican voters in New York say they trust Andrew Cuomo, the state’s Democratic governor, to decide how to reopen the state over Trump.
Lethal
Washington Post: Antibody tests support what’s been obvious: Covid-19 is much more lethal than the flu By Joel Achenbach
The new serological data, which is provisional, suggests that coronavirus infections greatly outnumber confirmed covid-19 cases, potentially by a factor of 10 or more. Many people experience mild symptoms or none at all, and never get the standard diagnostic test with a swab up the nose, so they’re missed in the official covid-19 case counts.
Lies
Washington Post: Trump tests his most promising coronavirus antidote: Lies By Dana Milbank
Trump has at times speculated that the virus could be killed by an antimalarial drug and an antibiotic, or by ingesting bleach or other household disinfectants. But he has never abandoned the regular application of disinformation as his primary defense against the coronavirus.
Compare
Reviewing the news the morning, there are these two headlines from ABC News. Compare the messages.
ABC News: Pro-Trump group plans dozens of anti-lockdown protests around the country, some in virus hot spots - The group claims the protests will be "drive-in" rallies. By Will Steakin
ABC News: Coronavirus deaths 'likely to continue to rise' in coming weeks, CDC says - There are now more than 58,000 deaths in the U.S. By Morgan Winsor and Ella Torres
ABC News: Pro-Trump group plans dozens of anti-lockdown protests around the country, some in virus hot spots - The group claims the protests will be "drive-in" rallies. By Will Steakin
ABC News: Coronavirus deaths 'likely to continue to rise' in coming weeks, CDC says - There are now more than 58,000 deaths in the U.S. By Morgan Winsor and Ella Torres
Racial Conservatism AKA Racism
NY Times: Trump Hasn’t Given Up on Divide and Conquer - It worked for him before, but will the rising racial liberalism of white Democrats counter the rising racial conservatism of white Republicans? Is that even the right way to frame the question? By Thomas B. Edsall
If white Republicans and white Democrats are moving in opposite directions, as much current research suggests, Trump will retain a constituency receptive — perhaps even more receptive than it was in 2016 — to his racially divisive tactics.
The Market On Wednesday
Good morning. At 7:40 a.m. ET DOW futures are +133. The market is poised to open significantly higher.
CNN: US oil drops as much as 20% as oversupply concerns keep roiling markets By Jill Disis
CNN: US oil drops as much as 20% as oversupply concerns keep roiling markets By Jill Disis
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Georgia
AJC.com: Georgia men drink disinfectants in attempts to stop coronavirus By Johnny Edwards
Two people in Georgia drank liquid cleaning products over the weekend in misguided attempts to ward off COVID-19, according to the Georgia Poison Center. Both men had histories of psychiatric problems and are expected to recover.
One Million
Grim milestone as the USA passes the 1,000,000 confirmed cases mark. That means 1 in every 330 people are confirmed to have the virus. When you take a 30 minute ride in your car, how many people do you pass by, including homes and businesses. It's many more than 330 unless you are in a remote rural area.
Hedges
Hedges is seriously not going to give you happy information. Always read Hedges with a sense of non commitment.
Salon: Pulitzer winner Chris Hedges: These "are the good times — compared to what's coming next" - Author of "America: The Farewell Tour": We're heading for a steep decline; Biden and the Democrats have no answers by Chauncey DeVega
Salon: Pulitzer winner Chris Hedges: These "are the good times — compared to what's coming next" - Author of "America: The Farewell Tour": We're heading for a steep decline; Biden and the Democrats have no answers by Chauncey DeVega
Mike DeWine
NY Times: Ohio’s G.O.P. Governor Splits From Trump, and Rises in Popularity - Mike DeWine, a low-key career politician, has followed health experts’ guidance as Ohio confronts the coronavirus. His constituents are overwhelmingly appreciative. By Trip Gabriel
He also split decidedly with Mr. Trump by encouraging a nearly all-mail primary election on Tuesday. While the president has spread the false claim that voting by mail entails “a lot” of fraud, Mr. DeWine pushed universal absentee ballots for voters’ safety.
Covid 19 And Cancer
Washington Post: Patients with certain cancers are nearly three times more likely to die of covid-19, study says - Those with blood or lung malignancies, or tumors that have spread throughout the body, were at highest risk of complications and death. By Laurie McGinley
Cancer patients also were more likely to experience “severe events,” such as being admitted to intensive care units and needing mechanical ventilation, than people without cancer.
The Market On Tuesday
Good morning. At 9:00 a.m. ET DOW futures are +386. The market is poised to open significantly higher.
CNN: Could US oil prices go negative again? It's possible By Julia Horowitz
CNN: Could US oil prices go negative again? It's possible By Julia Horowitz
Improve
Get Pocket: 11 Simple Ways to Improve Your Memory - Long-term, immediate, and habitual methods for keeping your memories fresh and clear.
2. Don’t Walk Through a Doorway.
Monday, April 27, 2020
Rants
Washington Post: We should be worried about Trump’s rants By Eugene Robinson
“Sarcasm” is becoming a familiar claim from the president. After speculating nonsensically last week at a coronavirus briefing that disinfectants or powerful light could be used “inside the body” to combat covid-19, and being widely ridiculed for the suggestion, Trump claimed he was just being sarcastic
Tragedy
Unbearably tragic and sad.
NY Times: Top E.R. Doctor Who Treated Virus Patients Dies by Suicide - “She tried to do her job, and it killed her,” said the father of Dr. Lorna M. Breen, who worked at a Manhattan hospital hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak. By Ali Watkins, Michael Rothfeld, William K. Rashbaum and Brian M. Rosenthal
NY Times: Top E.R. Doctor Who Treated Virus Patients Dies by Suicide - “She tried to do her job, and it killed her,” said the father of Dr. Lorna M. Breen, who worked at a Manhattan hospital hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak. By Ali Watkins, Michael Rothfeld, William K. Rashbaum and Brian M. Rosenthal
Insanity
Fascintating. GOP governors are acting as if the Covid-19 pandemic is magically over. Meanwhile back in the reality, the number of confirmed cases in the USA will hit 1,000,000 in a day or two, and similarly we will also reach the grim milestone of 60,000 deaths in a day or two.
Axios: Texas governor to allow stay-at-home order to expire on April 30 by Ursula Perano
Axios: Texas governor to allow stay-at-home order to expire on April 30 by Ursula Perano
The Advantages Of An Intelligent Leader
The Daily Beast: New Zealand’s Prime Minister: We Have ‘Currently Eliminated’ Coronavirus
New Zealand says it has successfully managed to stop community transmission of COVID-19. With new cases in single figures for several days, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the virus was “currently” eliminated.
New York
NY Times: Governor Cuomo said that some businesses upstate might open after May 15.
...regions of New York that were less hard hit by the coronavirus might be able to open “low-risk” businesses like construction and manufacturing.
Self Praise Narcissism
NY Times: 260,000 Words, Full of Self-Praise, From Trump on the Virus By Jeremy W. Peters, Elaina Plott and Maggie Haberman
“He’s worked, like, probably as hard or harder than anybody,” Mr. Trump said. Then he corrected himself: “Other than maybe Mike Pence — or me.”
The Market On Monday
Good morning. At 7:55 a.m. ET DOW futures are +205. The market is poised to open significantly higher.
CNN: Amazon may be the ultimate coronavirus-proof stock By Paul R. La Monica
CNN: Amazon may be the ultimate coronavirus-proof stock By Paul R. La Monica
Friday, April 24, 2020
Weekend!
Have an excellent weekend and see you bright and early Monday morning.
work by Henry Farrer 1844-1903
work by Henry Farrer 1844-1903
Heartbreaking
Say a prayer for these people.
CNN: The 5-month-old daughter of a New York firefighter dies from coronavirus By Sarah Jorgensen and Scottie Andrew,
CNN: The 5-month-old daughter of a New York firefighter dies from coronavirus By Sarah Jorgensen and Scottie Andrew,
America's Asinine President
NY Times: Trump’s Suggestion That Disinfectants Could Be Used to Treat Coronavirus Prompts Aggressive Pushback - Responding to the criticism from public health officials around the country, the president said he was playing a trick on reporters. By Katie Rogers, Christine Hauser, Alan Yuhas and Maggie Haberman
Injecting bleach or highly concentrated rubbing alcohol “causes massive organ damage and the blood cells in the body to basically burst,” Dr. Diane P. Calello, the medical director of the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System, said in an interview. “It can definitely be a fatal event.”
Even the makers of Clorox and Lysol pleaded with Americans not to inject or ingest their products.
Shocked
NBC News: Trump's remarks on disinfectants left even close aides shocked - West Wing aides and members of the coronavirus task force were taken aback by the president's "off-the-cuff" remarks.
On Friday the Maryland Emergency Management Agency issued an alert that it had “received several calls regarding questions about disinfectant use” and the coronavirus, warning residents that “under no circumstances should any disinfectant product be administered into the body.”
Lunatic
NY Times: Home Alone at the White House: A Sour President, With TV His Constant Companion - As his administration grapples with reopening the economy and responding to the coronavirus crisis, President Trump worries about his re-election and how the news media is portraying him. By Katie Rogers and Annie Karni
Mr. Trump rarely attends the task force meetings that precede the briefings, and he typically does not prepare before he steps in front of the cameras. He is often seeing the final version of the day’s main talking points that aides have prepared for him for the first time although aides said he makes tweaks with a Sharpie just before he reads them live. He hastily plows through them, usually in a monotone, in order to get to the question-and-answer bullying session with reporters that he relishes.
Did I Have It
I was sick as a dog in February. I had the worst flu of my life, this is true. My voice was an octave lower for a solid week.
NY Times: Amid Signs Coronavirus Came Earlier, Americans Ask: Did I Already Have It? New revelations have left people wondering about ailments early this year. Doctors are thinking back to unexplained cases. Medical examiners are looking for possible misdiagnosed deaths. By Julie Bosman, Amy Harmon and Thomas Fuller
NY Times: Amid Signs Coronavirus Came Earlier, Americans Ask: Did I Already Have It? New revelations have left people wondering about ailments early this year. Doctors are thinking back to unexplained cases. Medical examiners are looking for possible misdiagnosed deaths. By Julie Bosman, Amy Harmon and Thomas Fuller
“I’ve started to think it was the coronavirus,” said Julie Parks, a 63-year-old employee who was among the sick. “I may have had it, but I can’t be sure. It’s limbo.”
Lunatic
NY Times: Trump Asks if Sunlight Can Kill Viruses. ‘Not as a Treatment,’ Birx Says. At a briefing, the president promoted unproven treatments and asked Dr. Deborah Birx if she had heard of the success of sunlight as a tool against viruses. By William J. Broad and Dan Levin
“And then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute — one minute — and is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside, or almost a cleaning?”
The Market On Friday
Good morning. At 8:20 a.m. ET DOW futures are +157. The market is poised to open significantly higher.
CNN: Investors may be learning not to pin their hopes on coronavirus treatments By Julia Horowitz
CNN: Investors may be learning not to pin their hopes on coronavirus treatments By Julia Horowitz
Mad Man
There's over the top and then there's this. There are no words to describe how unbelievable this is.
Vanity Fair: Yes, Trump Actually Suggested Injecting Disinfectants Into Your Veins Could Cure Coronavirus - Please, please do not follow this advice.
Vanity Fair: Yes, Trump Actually Suggested Injecting Disinfectants Into Your Veins Could Cure Coronavirus - Please, please do not follow this advice.
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Peak?
The daily cases reported graph is showing a slow down. Is this a trend, are there more unreported cases that if reported would change the shape of the graph, I wish I knew. Regardless, there is a shift according to the graph.
Sad Story
If someone says it's all a hoax, and then gets the virus and dies from it, leave the family alone. The person is dead. It no longer matters that you were 'right' or whatever. Show some respect. Don't be worse than these anti-lockdown protestors making a dangerous stink about something they obviously have not taken the time to understand.
Washington Post: He criticized lockdown measures before getting covid-19. As strangers vilified him, his family canceled the live-stream of his funeral.
Washington Post: He criticized lockdown measures before getting covid-19. As strangers vilified him, his family canceled the live-stream of his funeral.
Albany NY On Wednesday
What a disgrace.
Times Union: Hundreds gather at the Capitol to protest state shutdown by Cayla Harris
Times Union: Hundreds gather at the Capitol to protest state shutdown by Cayla Harris
Earlier
NY Times: Hidden Outbreaks Spread Through U.S. Cities Far Earlier Than Americans Knew, Estimates Say By Benedict Carey and James Glanz
Even in early February — while the world focused on China — the virus was not only likely to be spreading in multiple American cities, but also seeding blooms of infection elsewhere in the United States, the researchers found.
The Market On Thursday
Good morning. At 7:00 a.m. ET DOW futures are -52. The market is poised to open moderately lower.
CNN: The New York Stock Exchange could reopen in phases beginning in May By Alison Kosik
CNN: The New York Stock Exchange could reopen in phases beginning in May By Alison Kosik
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
No Play No Pay
NY Times: Health Dept. Official Says Doubts on Hydroxychloroquine Led to His Ouster - Rick Bright was abruptly dismissed this week as the director of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. By Michael D. Shear and Maggie Haberman
...he was removed from his post after he pressed for rigorous vetting of hydroxychloroquine...
Complications
Please read this article.
Washington Post: A mysterious blood-clotting complication is killing coronavirus patients - Once thought a relatively straightforward respiratory virus, covid-19 is proving to be much more frightening By Ariana Eunjung Cha
Washington Post: A mysterious blood-clotting complication is killing coronavirus patients - Once thought a relatively straightforward respiratory virus, covid-19 is proving to be much more frightening By Ariana Eunjung Cha
They’ve since seen how covid-19 attacks not only the lungs, but also the kidneys, heart, intestines, liver and brain.
Patients who by all conventional measures seem to have mild disease deteriorating within minutes and dying at home.
Autopsies have shown some people’s lungs fill with hundreds of microclots. Errant blood clots of a larger size can break off and travel to the brain or heart, causing a stroke or heart attack.
Normal
Washington Post: In Florida, we love our beaches. Thanks to our governor, now we can die for them. The Sunshine State is returning to ‘normal’ after the pandemic. Whatever that means here. By Diane Roberts
And so DeSantis has dithered, obfuscated and delayed. He wouldn’t tell Floridians to stay home until he got the go-ahead from Trump; like Trump, he shills hydroxychloroquine as a supposed coronavirus miracle cure.
Comment
I've been looking through the news like you and everybody else searching for signs of some improvement or just something that is positive, some light at the end of the tunnel. There is a lot of work going on to rapidly produce a vaccine, doctors are becoming more and more aware of the virus' effects, but unfortunately the numbers are not good. The news that the CDC is warning of a second wave next Winter is particularly disturbing. I do not mean to be an alarmist here, yet it is an alarming time.
The only good news I'm seeing is that Trump's approval is dropping. His rally behind the president gain has loosened, it was indeed temporary. Trump must go this is imperative. We are also learning that the anti-lockdown protests are funded by some deep pocket individuals with previous ties to Trump, Mercer is in the mix.
Keep social distancing, stay healthy. We tend to see our financial losses as severely troubling, but look at it this way. If you or I were on a respirator fighting for our lives, the sudden drop in our present financial status would have no relevance at all. We would easily trade all of it for our life. Right now, your health is your most important asset.
The only good news I'm seeing is that Trump's approval is dropping. His rally behind the president gain has loosened, it was indeed temporary. Trump must go this is imperative. We are also learning that the anti-lockdown protests are funded by some deep pocket individuals with previous ties to Trump, Mercer is in the mix.
Keep social distancing, stay healthy. We tend to see our financial losses as severely troubling, but look at it this way. If you or I were on a respirator fighting for our lives, the sudden drop in our present financial status would have no relevance at all. We would easily trade all of it for our life. Right now, your health is your most important asset.
Updates
Guardian UK: Coronavirus live news: UN warns of 'biblical' famine; first case seen in Palestinian refugees in Lebanon
Officials in Beijing dismissed the US state of Missouri’s move to sue the Chinese government over its handling of the coronavirus outbreak as “nothing short of absurdity” and lacking any factual or legal basis.
Lacking Basic Human Emotion
Guardian UK: Consoler-in-chief? Lacking empathy, Trump weighs the economic costs, not the human ones
But Trump has especially fallen short as consoler-in-chief during the coronavirus crisis, analysts say, failing day after day to muster expressions of sympathy for victims and their families as the death toll in America increased into the tens of thousands.
The Backers
Washington Post: Inside the conservative networks backing anti-quarantine protests By Isaac Stanley-Becker and Tony Romm
In Michigan, among those organizing “Operation Gridlock” was Meshawn Maddock, who sits on the Trump campaign’s advisory board and is a prominent figure in the “Women for Trump” coalition.
Second Wave
Washington Post: CDC director warns second wave of coronavirus is likely to be even more devastating By Lena H. Sun
“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...“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,” he said.
Compare
NY Times: State by State: Comparing Coronavirus Death Rates Across U.S. By Lazaro Gamio
In Georgia, a funeral in the small city of Albany became a super-spreader event. Three counties near this city have some of the highest per capita rate of infections outside of the New York area.
Updates
NY Times: Coronavirus Live Updates: Clues Emerge on Virus’s Path; Trump Orders Halt on Green Cards - President Trump said he would sign the order on Wednesday. The first known death from the illness in the U.S. came weeks earlier than thought. The Senate approved a $484 billion relief plan. President Trump said on Twitter he would sign an executive order on Wednesday to limit immigration because of the coronavirus.
...the medical examiner of Santa Clara California revealed that two people who died in their homes in early February were infected with the coronavirus — weeks before the first officially recorded death in Seattle.
The Market On Wendesday
Good morning. At 8:00 a.m. ET DOW futures are +243. The market is poised to open significantly higher.
CNN: Global oil prices hit 21-year low but stock markets edge higher By Jazmin Goodwin, Laura He and Mark Thompson
CNN: Global oil prices hit 21-year low but stock markets edge higher By Jazmin Goodwin, Laura He and Mark Thompson
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
What Pandemic?
Apparently there is no pandemic or, voila, it somehow disappeared. Barr is now threatening legal action against governors who lock it down.
Bloomberg: Barr Threatens Legal Action Against Governors Over Lockdowns By Chris Strohm
Bloomberg: Barr Threatens Legal Action Against Governors Over Lockdowns By Chris Strohm
Hydroxychloroquine
Gee maybe it's not all Trump makes it out to be.
AP News: More deaths, no benefit from malaria drug in VA virus study By MARILYNN MARCHIONE
AP News: More deaths, no benefit from malaria drug in VA virus study By MARILYNN MARCHIONE
About 28% who were given hydroxychloroquine plus usual care died, versus 11% of those getting routine care alone.
Illogical
Republican governors are banking on magical thinking. They want to re-open their states hoping that the virus is somehow or other all of a sudden not a problem because the death rate is not 200,000, so far, and is now 'only' running up to 50,000.
CNN: This Republican's logic on reopening the country is totally illogical Analysis by Chris Cillizza
CNN: This Republican's logic on reopening the country is totally illogical Analysis by Chris Cillizza
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