US Politics, March 2020 — There’s a very good chance you’re not going to die.

4 months of unemployment on steroids stayed intact.

$1,200 payments, but they're not paying less for low income folk like originally proposed.

$1200? Maybe I'll go to the movies. By myself.

I can finally buy the complete collection of books on tape read by Sam Elliott

The Department of Homeland Security stopped updating its annual models of the havoc that pandemics would wreak on America’s critical infrastructure in 2017, according to current and former DHS officials with direct knowledge of the matter.

From at least 2005 to 2017, an office inside DHS, in tandem with analysts and supercomputers at several national laboratories, produced detailed analyses of what would happen to everything from transportation systems to hospitals if a pandemic hit the United States.

But the work abruptly stopped in 2017 amid a bureaucratic dispute over its value, two of the former officials said, leaving the department flat-footed as it seeks to stay ahead of the impacts the COVID-19 outbreak is having on vast swathes of the U.S. economy.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/24/dhs-pandemic-coronavirus-146884

A cute four part story pic.twitter.com/WuxAwPbq0F

— Michael Tae Sweeney (@mtsw) March 25, 2020

dreamliner republic

many are saying that boeing was, in fact, the greatest company in the united states, at least up until last year, and so "we will take care of them"

(trump mumbled all that to himself during a press conference last week)

one of those little details in the press conferences that are simultaneously excruciating and actively spread disinformation and make things worse, but also provide little nuggets on corruption in its primordial raw state

is trump refusing to release the fema ventilators to new york because he hates the city that created then rejected him?

yes

that's the argument i'm seeing. another one is more simple, that he doesn't want to give up too many materials to washington, california and new york because they didn't vote for him.

w/out a doubt, also the state

He made his quid pro quo on medical supplies fairly clear yesterday--astounding.

http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-suggests-coronavirus-aid-to-governors-that-treat-us-well-2020-3

He needs to be pushed on this issue. New York does not have enough ventilators. No one does but the apex is coming here first. Resources should be distributed as needed and all possible efforts should be made to manufacture as many ventilators as possible so they’re ready when the apex hits in the other states.

This is murderous.

"it's a two-way street"

god I hope he dies

fuck yeah

In the middle of a pandemic, we won PTO for ourselves and ALL Amazon workers. This is *how* we did it and how you can join us. Hopefully it serves as an example of how ya'll can get started too! https://t.co/BBIZpeazQE

— DCH1 Amazonians United (@Dch1United) March 22, 2020

All my elderly relatives are in New York.

exactly he's openly pointing the gun

xxxp

problem: trump is obviously going to continue to make the entire coronavirus about him, his personal fortune, his antagonistic relationships with states and cities, his election chances. he is a vindictive, petty, heartless ruthless walking shitshow that literally does not care about people who didn't vote for him. he is the absolute last person you want in charge

solution: ?

is it possible, constitutionally, to establish some sort of coronavirus decisionmaking body that can't be overruled by trump's petty judgments?

I want reporters pressing him on the ventilator issue now. Nothing else.

Why is he so personally involved in decisions he was supposed to be the “reality tv” president

because he replicated the structure of his other businesses - he is the big boss man surrounded by sycophants, all fighting with each other (by design) for his attention, and he gets to make the final call

and if you really want access, you have to go through ivanka or jared or stephen or some other venal demon

this is so fucked up

On Wednesday morning, President Donald Trump congratulated Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) for not getting infected with COVID-19 in a tweet dripping with sarcasm.

“This is really great news! I am so happy I can barely speak,” Trump tweeted. “He may have been a terrible presidential candidate and an even worse U.S. Senator, but he is a RINO, and I like him a lot!”

i am going to re-join christian nation just so i can pray for trump to die of coronavirus. please listen to me god. please kill trump with coronavirus

“Usually we’ll have 50 governors that will call it the same time. I think we are doing very well. But it’s a two-way street. They have to treat us well, also. They can’t say, “Oh, gee, we should get this, we should get that.” We’re doing a great job. Like in New York where we’re building, as I said, four hospitals, four medical centers. We’re literally building hospitals and medical centers. And then I hear that there’s a problem with ventilators. Well we sent them ventilators. And they could have had 15,000 or 16,000 – all they had to do was order them two years ago. But they decided not to do it. They can’t blame us for that.”

fucking die man

Cuomo's talking about a "surge health force," which I think is made up of retired doctors, nurses, etc. (mental-health people too). 40,000 have signed up.

re: those 15,000 ventilators

https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/trump-slings-death-panels-lie-cuomo-taken-far-right-blogs

BREAKING:
Pittsburgh garbage collectors refusing to pick up, claiming they are not being protected and deserve hazard pay @wpxi pic.twitter.com/oUNZGL881F

— Liz Kilmer (@LizKilmerWPXI) March 25, 2020

Carly Fiorina otm

Carly Fiorina, Republican, retired CEO of HP says the airlines should not get a dime. Let them go into bankruptcy, continue to pay their employees figure it out. They can still fly. Well said Carly.

— BMLewis (@BMLewis2) March 25, 2020

Huh weird

the first time she has ever been OTM about anything

why does everyone love cuomo? I realize he's agitating right now, but just a week ago he was saying he wouldn't even approve shelter in place despite de Blasio saying it should happen.

He sounds like what I expect a president to sound like.

yeah - the rally effect is a thing. even just passing the bare minimum level of leadership will provide leaders with a bump of support. cuomo seems to be exerting more leadership than most, so it doesn't surprise me that people are rallying behind him.

the Giuliani Phenomenon

Making the rounds:

what an ad. pic.twitter.com/yZV9KJCOEn

— Florida Chris (@chrislongview) March 25, 2020

yeah - the rally effect is a thing. even just passing the bare minimum level of leadership will provide leaders with a bump of support. cuomo seems to be exerting more leadership than most, so it doesn't surprise me that people are rallying behind him.

― Karl Malone, Wednesday, March 25, 2020 11:28 AM (fourteen minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

the Giuliani Phenomenon

― Webcam Du Bois (Hadrian VIII), Wednesday, March 25, 2020 11:36 AM (six minutes ago)

anyone play civilization? crises provide a Golden Age-like approval bonus for the leader in question. but just like the Civ Golden Age, a terrible leader can negate even the approval bonus

but we don't know of any recent leaders who have been given every single advantage in the world, from birth, and somehow managed to not only squander them but also inflict harm on everyone else around them in the process, do we??

https://d.newsweek.com/en/full/708652/11-10-george-w-bush-president.jpg

I haven't played but do feel someone is playing it w/ us

recent-year sym theory joeks aging darker by the day

sim

http://www.cnn.com/2020/03/25/politics/donald-trump-gallup-approval-polling/index.html

I'm someone who stopped saying "this will change" about two years ago, but, once again, I'll foolishly suggest this will change.

even reagan legitimately came up from humble begins and managed to crawl his way through the top as he slit throats. this recent batch of GOP overlords are just cartoon villains from the gilded age

humble ^beginnings^

akm, Cuomo said he wouldn't *quarantine* the city (or any city), not that he was opposed to shelter in place.

I am no fan of his but y'know "better than the guy who's trying to kill us all"

the Giuliani Phenomenon

― Webcam Du Bois (Hadrian VIII), Wednesday, March 25, 2020 11:36 AM (fourteen minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Was just about to say, we should all go ahead and brace ourselves now for Cuomo 2024.

gonna be tough to unseat Biden

*cries softly*

America's Governor

maybe special unpaid personal lawyer cuomo can go on a mission to another continent to dig up dirt on biden's 2024 political opponent