Itās all about money.
A thread about the new MAGA craze: Libbers.
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Watch video - Nurses take a stand against those who are protesting #ShelteringAtHome - and someone yells, 35,000 dead.
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More than a dozen U.S. researchers, physicians and public health experts, many of them from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, were working full time at the Geneva headquarters of the World Health Organization as the novel coronavirus emerged late last year and transmitted real-time information about its discovery and spread in China to the Trump administration, according to U.S. and international officials.
A number of CDC staff members are regularly detailed to work at the WHO in Geneva as part of a rotation that has operated for years. Senior Trump-appointed health officials also consulted regularly at the highest levels with the WHO as the crisis unfolded, the officials said.
The presence of so many U.S. officials undercuts President Trumpās assertion that the WHOās failure to communicate the extent of the threat, born of a desire to protect China, is largely responsible for the rapid spread of the virus in the United States.
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Medical staff is forming a counter-protest to the few but loud nutty probably astroturf lock-down protesters. Shit is crazy my friends 
Click tweet for video
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Definitely astroturf
Pro-gun activists using Facebook groups to push anti-quarantine protests
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Stupid Kills: The 5 Worst GOP Governorsā Responses to COVID-19
As late as March 30, 15 states had issued neither stay-at-home orders nor ordered the closure of non-essential businesses. All 15 have Republican governors. Since then, most have finally taken too-little-too-late statewide measures.
In a target-rich environment, selecting (much less ranking) the five dumbest GOP governors is no easy task. But somebody has to do it. By focusing exclusively on their response to the COVID-19 crisis, the task becomes a bit easier.
With apologies to Greg Abbott and Jim Justice, here they are:
5. Kevin Stitt, Oklahoma
On Saturday night, March 14, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt tweeted out a photo of himself and his children at a crowded restaurant. āEating with my kids and all my fellow Oklahomans at Collective OKC!ā Stitt exulted, āItās packed tonight!ā
The next day, Stitt declared a statewide emergency ācaused by the impending threat of COVID-19 to the people of this State and the publicās peace, health, and safety.ā
The emergency declaration covered, well, pretty much nothing other than authorizing state agencies to take certain actions. There was no stay-at-home order, no restriction on the size of meetings and assemblies, and no guidance of any kind to the people of Oklahoma other than āencouragingā them to utilize online options whenever possible in interacting with āagency services.ā
Perhaps fearful that the order itself didnāt make it sufficiently clear that Oklahomans were being provided with absolutely no useful guidance of any kind, the governorās office promptly removed any doubt. The very next day after the order was issued, Stittās chief of communications clarified the sweep of the order:
āThe governor will continue to take his family out to dinner and to the grocery store without living in fear and encourages Oklahomans to do the same.ā
Got it, Oklahomans? Take the kids out to the crowd! Father knows best.
4. Tate Reeves, Mississippi
Poor Tate Reeves. He took his family on a trip to Paris and Barcelona in early March, just when the coronavirus pandemic was heating up, but had to return to the United States to get in under the wire before Donald Trumpās European travel ban kicked in.
Two days later, he declared a āstate of emergencyā in Mississippi.
About 10 days after that, Reeves issued an executive order directing Mississippians to avoid social contact and other non-essential gatherings of more than 10 people, prohibited bars and restaurants from serving more than 10 patrons at a time, and prohibited most visitors at health care facilities. It ārecommended and encouraged,ā but did not order, Mississippi businesses to work at home āto the maximum extent possible.ā
And then the chaos began. The order provided not only that the measures be enacted statewide, but also that āany order, rule, regulation or action by any governing body, agency or political subdivisionā imposing stricter restrictions was āsuspended and unenforceableā during the life of the crisis.
In other words, while purporting to impose new restrictions, the statewide order actually weakened previously enacted restrictions in significant portions of the state.
āThe governorās actions are creating mass confusion and panic across the state,ā said Tupelo Mayor Jason Shelton. Nobody quite knows which guidelines they should follow, and which they canāt. Mayors across the state are ātaking it upon themselves to clarify to their residents that curfews, restaurant bans, and stay-at-home orders remain in place.ā
But donāt worry, Reeves has clarified it all: āIf you feel that a statewide lockdown should be occurring, then you should put yourself on individual lockdown . . . [but] that is not the guidance we are getting from our experts.ā Helpful.
After all, Reeves assured us, āMississippiās never going to be China. Mississippiās never going to be North Korea.ā
3. Kay Ivey, Alabama
By April 1, 35 Alabamans had died from the virus. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, the most cited source of COVID-19 modeling, projects a sharp spike in the Alabama death rate in just over two weeks, reaching over 300 deaths per day by April 19.
Alabamaās hospital resources are among the least prepared in the nation. The state has some 474 ICU beds available. IHME projects they will need 4,382. Thatās about 1 ICU bed for every 10 patients.
As of April 3, Governor Kay Ivey still hadnāt issued a stay at home order. Why not? Her folksy explanation tells you all you need to know:
āYāall, we are not Louisiana. Right now is not the time to order people to shelter in place.ā
True that. The time was much earlier. And Alabama aināt Louisiana. It doesnāt have the reigning NCAA football national champion. And, as bad as Louisianaās situation is, Alabamaās is much worse. IHME projects fewer than 75 deaths per day at the peak in Louisiana, in contrast to Alabamaās 300-plus. And Louisianaās hospitals are projected to be only a few hundred beds short, as opposed to nearly 4,400 in Alabama.
Only on April 3, far too late to prevent a healthcare catastrophe in Alabama, did Ivey issue a stay-at-home order, effective the next day.
2. Ron DeSantis, Florida
Brimming with the most at-risk population in the nationāseniors with underlying medical conditionsāFlorida is a disaster waiting to happen, the only question is when. IHME estimates that Florida will have 175 COVID-19 deaths per day by early May. The state has about half the ICU beds it is projected to need.
For weeks, in the face of this thoroughly predictable crisis, Florida governor Ron DeSantis resisted issuing a statewide stay at home order, which he called ānot advisableā because the virus supposedly wasnāt affecting āevery corner of the state.ā Never mind that this statement wasnāt true, and that the Florida numbers were artificially depressed due to lack of testing in most of the state.
Meanwhile, he watched thousands of young revelers crowd Florida beaches over spring break.
On April 1, DeSantis finally caved and issued his too-late stay-at-home order. Granted, too late is better than never. But eight hours after he issued the order, DeSantis quietly signed a second order that seriously undermined restrictions that already existed at local levels within the state. The second order provided that the first one āshall supersede any conflicting official action or order issued by local officials in response to COVID-19.ā
The second order actually weakened, not strengthened, existing restrictions in key areas throughout the state. For instance, the statewide order exempted attending all āreligious services conducted in churches, synagogues and houses of worship.ā It also exempted those engaged in ārecreational activities.ā
Many local orders and guidelines contained no such exemptions. Those local guidelines were therefore weakened or superseded entirely by the statewide order.
One local county commissioner reacted this way: āOur hospitals better get ready, thatās all Iāve got to say.ā
1. Brian Kemp, Georgia
Take a look at this timeline:
- January 31, 2020: Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and a member of the Presidentās Coronavirus Task Force, announces at a White House press conference that although it was initially unclear whether an asymptomatic person could transmit COVID-19 to another person, we now know āthat that is absolutely the case;ā
- February 26, 2020: HHS Secretary Alex Azar, also a member of Trumpās Task Force, says he is āalarmedā by infections occurring that have no clear link to confirmed cases;
- March 2, 2020: Pinar Keskinocak, the head of Georgia Techās Center for Health and Humanitarian Systems warns Georgiaās health officials that āthere is a strong chance that a person could be infected but asymptomatic, but could still infect others;ā
- March 14, 2020: Dr. Deborah Birx, the US governmentās leader for combating HIV/AIDS globally, and the coordinator of Trumpās Coronavirus Task Force, pointedly warns young people to respect social distancing because even people without symptoms can spread the virus;
- March 16, 2020: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)ālocated just outside Atlanta 20 minutes away from the Georgia Governorās Mansionāacknowledges that the virus can be spread before people show symptoms;
- February 1 through March 31: Just about every public health official in the world warns repeatedly that the spreading of the COVID-19 virus by people without symptoms is a major threat to our health and safety. Thousands of articles are written about it, and television commentators, including those on Fox News, spread the word daily;
- April 1, 2020: Georgia governor Brian Kemp explains why he waited until April Foolās Day to issue a statewide stay-at-home order: āWe didnāt know that [the virus can be spread by people without symptoms] until the last 24 hours. This is a game changer for us.ā
It doesnāt get much worse than that.
A Key G.O.P. Strategy: Blame China. But Trump Goes Off Message.
Republicans increasingly believe that elevating Chinaās culpability for spreading the coronavirus may be the best way to improve their difficult election chances. The president is muddying the message.
Trump accused of āknowinglyā spreading coronavirus to Central America
Days after the Trump administration threatened Central American countries with visa sanctions if they refuse to accept nationals who are deported from the U.S. during the coronavirus pandemic, the Guatemalan health minister said an estimated 75% of the people on one deportation flight from the U.S. later tested positive for the virus.
Health Minister Hugo Monroyās claim raised fears that the U.S. is willfully sending sick people back to the countries they left, creating conditions for larger outbreaks in countries including Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.
The U.S., which is now the epicenter of the global pandemic with more than 600,000 cases, resumed deportations on Monday after a week-long pause due to fears that ill migrants might spread the coronavirus to others on deportation flights. The Trump administration sent two flights with a total of 182 people to Guatemala Monday.
The White House Has Erected A Blockade Stopping States and Hospitals From Getting Coronavirus PPE
French researchers: High temperatures ineffective against coronavirus
In Pursuit of PPE
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Not sure I know what that reference meansā¦? False front I am guessing.
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Hereās a informative and entertaining video on astroturfing by John Oliver. Basically, it looks like grass-roots politics but itās not, itās astroturf.
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I did not know this- great term! Opposite of grassroots. Brilliant! Thank you Urban Dictionary!
ā astroturf
Creating the impression of public support by paying people in the public to pretend to be supportive.
The false support can take the form of letters to the editor, postings on message boards in response to criticism, and writing to politicians in support of the cause.
Astroturfing is the opposite of āgrassrootsā, genuine public support of an issue.
Mike, admit you just got caught astroturfing. Youāre just pimping your own blog.
Microsoft didnāt have grassroots support, so they created astroturf support.
by holloway August 17, 2004
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Thanks for the clipā¦yes, a massaged message. I get it.
The same as what they call being coy aka lying with 'Green" issues - a false front, ie called āGreen washingāā¦
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Bingo. In this case theyāve resorted to astroturfing after Trumpās āI have total authorityā claim fell flat with both parties. Itās the same attack on stay-at-home orders and social distancing from a different angle.
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WHO head warns worst of virus is still ahead
The World Health Organization chief warned Monday that āthe worst is yet ahead of usā in the coronavirus outbreak, reviving the alarm just as many countries ease restrictive measures aimed at reducing its spread.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus didnāt specify why he believes the outbreak that has infected some 2.5 million people and killed over 166,000 could get worse. He and others, however, have previously pointed to the likely future spread of the illness through Africa, where healthsystems are far less developed.
āTrust us. The worst is yet ahead of us,ā Tedros told reporters from WHO headquarters in Geneva. āLetās prevent this tragedy. Itās a virus that many people still donāt understand.ā
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The war against the states
President Trump and congressional Republicans are going to war with the states.
Itās bizarre, itās self-defeating, it will do enormous harm to Americans in every corner of the country, and it can be fully explained only by understanding the presidentās pettiest and most narcissistic motives. In other words, itās the kind of thing weāve come to expect in the Trump era.
Last week, the $349 billion allotted for small businesses in the CARES Act rescue package ran out, with only a portion of the American businesses that have suffered in this pandemic-driven recession getting the help they need. While everyone seemed ready to provide more money, we found ourselves in a familiar situation, with Democrats saying we need to be swift and aggressive in saving Americans suffering from this economic catastrophe, and Republicans saying that we shouldnāt spend too much or help too many people.
When negotiations began, Republicans wanted to add about $250 billion to the small business fund ā and do nothing else. Now it appears that Democrats have pressured them into accepting a package that sends $370 billion to small businesses, gives $75 billion to hospitals, and spends $25 billion to beef up coronavirus testing.
What isnāt included in the package, however, is the desperately needed aid to states and cities Democrats sought. Republicans absolutely refused to even consider it.
Why? The need is urgent. State and local budgets are suddenly facing all kinds of new costs related to the pandemic, while at the same time tax revenues have fallen off a cliff. If they donāt get help, theyāll have to start laying people off and slashing state services, which will only make the recession deeper and longer. By some estimates, states and cities will need $500 billion in federal aid to make up the shortfall.
These things are already happening. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti just announced that the city will have to furlough city workers, giving them the equivalent of a 10 percent cut in pay. Similar crises are happening in Colorado and Ohio and Hawaii and Maryland and Oklahoma and Missouri and New York and Texas and pretty much every other state, where governors, county officials, and mayors are bracing for severe budget shortfalls that will lead to cutbacks and layoffs.
āNearly every American city is seeing a precipitous drop in revenue,ā the United States Conference of Mayors says. "Without federal support, many will be forced to lay off employees and make cuts that will hurt public safety.ā The National Governors Association has been sending the same message.
It is affecting red states and blue states, cities and rural areas, anyone and everyone. And youād think that even if theyāre indifferent to human suffering, Republicans should at least see it as in their political interest to help. After all, the worse the recession is, the less likely it is that Trump will be reelected and that Republicans will hold on to the Senate.
So why is it that Democrats have to beg and plead for aid to states and cities, while Republicans resist?
One explanation has it that Republicans are motivated only by their principled fiscal probity (go ahead and laugh). The New York Times reports that they object to the fact that āDemocrats have pushed for unrestricted funds, not related to the coronavirus, that would effectively subsidize bad fiscal decisions that occurred before the pandemic.ā
That is simply absurd, since the whole point of this aid is that the pandemic has created a cascade of financial effects that are eviscerating state budgets, far beyond the direct costs of treating people with covid-19, no matter how those budgets were structured before.
Thereās another explanation for Republican recalcitrance. As Axios reports:
The thinking among some Trump administration officials is that many states should be reopening their governments soon and that additional funding could deter them from doing so.
Politico reports the same thing:
The White House and Trump administration have been holding out because, in part, they believe if Congress keeps cutting checks for state and local governments, they will be disincentivized to open up their economies.
That is, in a word, bonkers. Itās as though they think state governors (of whom there are 26 Republicans and 24 Democrats) are keeping lockdown orders in place only because they and their citizens havenāt been forced to endure enough economic pain; let them suffer a little more, and out of desperation theyāll lift the orders even if public health concerns dictate otherwise.
Like everything else, this likely comes back to Trump himself. In his desperation to blame anyone and everyone else for his own failures, he has decided that states and governors are the problem: They arenāt being nice enough to him; they are dismissive when he says he "calls the shotsā; they arenāt doing enough testing.
So he and congressional Republicans have decided that states are just like undeserving poor people who must be punished to do the right thing. In this case, the right thing is lifting lockdown orders as soon as possible. Just as Republicans worried that the tens of millions of newly unemployed people might grow lazy and slothful if the government helped them pay their bills for a few months, now they worry that the same will happen to states.
So Republicans have decided on a strategy of extortion: You donāt get help unless you lift your stay-at-home orders; then maybe weāll talk. Thatās not whatās best for public health and your economic situation? Itāll lead to more infections, more deaths, and a longer recession? Too bad. Itās what Trump wants, and thatās all that matters.
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T in a chipper mood todayā¦treating the press nicely. Doing his campaign dance so well today. uggggh
Random tweets -
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Georgia is poised to open. Looks like it is not ready.
Citing President Trumpās guidelines for Opening Up America Again, released last week, Gov. Brian Kemp announced at a news conference Monday steps to reopen Georgiaās economy, starting this Friday.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (center) tours a temporary hospital in Atlanta last week. On Monday, he announced the first steps to reopen the stateās economy, beginning on Friday.
Ron Harris/AP
Kemp said āfavorable data, enhanced testing and approval of our health care professionalsā motivated him to reopen some businesses in the next week. Georgia is on track to meet Phase 1 criteria as recommended by the White Houseās coronavirus task force, according to the governor. Kemp cited Department of Public Health reports that emergency room visits of people with flu-like symptoms are declining and that documented COVID-19 cases have flattened.
Employees at āgyms, fitness centers, bowling alleys, body art studios,ā as well as ābarbers, cosmetologists, hair designers, nail care artists, estheticians, their respective schools & massage therapists,ā will be allowed to return to work on Friday but will have to operate under restrictions.
The mandatory conditions at the workplaces include social distancing, enhanced cleanings, screening workers for fevers and respiratory illness, wearing gloves and a mask if appropriate, moving workplaces 6 feet apart, staggering work shifts and, if possible, teleworking.
The Coronavirus Crisis
White House Defends Testing Capacity As Governors Ask For More
These particular businesses, Kemp said, have not been able to āundertake baseline operationsā like inventory and payroll, unlike others.
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Iām willing to let them be the guinea pig.
Me, Iāll stay home in my eastern Washington home.
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pos
Fuck, this is crazy?! Families are in process right now under lockdowns. How does this help anyone? Iām so angry right now! Where are the tests? We still need tests to even enforce this order safely. 
And what about the economy? How do you grow an economy without immigration? They have no idea what theyāre are doing. This will contribute to further contraction, when and if we can ever get people back to work.
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CNN reporting
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