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

Only caught part of the press thing today. The fake-news detour was par for the course; was actually somewhat shocked he was so equanimous about the money going to the Kennedy Center. I mean, that place must be viewed as the seventh ring of hell by his 35%.

Has Garth Brooks played the Kennedy Center, yet?

i didn't watch this press conference though it was playing on fb in the background; didn't see faluci. has he been sent to a basement?

wall street bailout $1,500,000,000,000
military $652,225,000,000
amazon's untaxed income $11,200,000,000
Candles $3,600
pandemic response team salaries $0
someone who is good at the economy please help me pretend I don't understand why people are dying

— Eric Allen Hatch (@ericallenhatch) March 25, 2020

You don't think Bernie Sanders wouldn't have been all over this?

― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, March 25, 2020 5:53 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

he was and is. idg why people are not watching Bernie's town halls

That's my point; the Huff Post story is horse shit.

shit, even the candles would be more useful, people can self-monitor for anosmia

(by posting that I am a bit worried that I have triggered cosmic irony and the relief checks will turn into yankee candle gift cards, dipthyque if you make >$100,000)

"You don't think Bernie Sanders wouldn't have been all over this?"

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/489525-last-minute-complaints-threaten-2t-senate-coronavirus-emergency-aid

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, warned that unless a group of GOP senators back down from their demand for changes to the unemployment insurance benefits, he would slow walk the bill until stronger guardrails were put on hundreds of billions in funding for corporations.

"In my view, it would be an outrage to prevent working-class Americans to receive the emergency unemployment assistance included in this legislation," Sanders said in a statement.

"Unless these Republican senators drop their objection, I am prepared to put a hold on this bill until stronger conditions are imposed on the $500 billion corporate welfare fund to make sure that any corporation receiving financial assistance under this legislation does not lay off workers, cut wages or benefits, ship jobs overseas or pay workers poverty wages," Sanders continued.

Re: Kennedy center — the memes my father in law has been sharing on FB the last few days specifically highlighted this as one of the unconscionable things the radical dems were holding up relief for hard working Americans over

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Wednesday that Democrats will press for another wave of direct payments to Americans as Congress begins weighing the next round of emergency relief in response to the coronavirus crisis.

House Democrats had proposed a $1,500 cash infusion for all Americans in their stimulus bill, up to a certain income level — a $300 increase over the Senate package, which is expected to reach the president's desk in the coming days.

Pelosi suggested Wednesday that neither figure is high enough, calling for another round of checks in the next wave of stimulus — the fourth since the crisis began — to be considered in the weeks and months ahead.

"We had bigger direct payments in our bill, and we think we'll get more direct payments in another bill," she said in an interview with CNN.

She did not say how much.

A short time later, speaking to reporters in the Capitol, Pelosi offered a broader preview of some of the provisions Democrats will seek in a phase four package, including more funding to protect pensions, tougher work safety provisions under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and funding to provide free medical care — not just testing — to coronavirus victims.

those Bernie objections happened this afternoon. the four dumb Senators got their amendment, the vote will probably fail, and supposedly they're gonna finally take the damn floor vote after that tonight.

my mom got so worked up she called me lol

Amendment to bill failed as expected, 48-48

Bill passed, 96-0. Bernie's unemployment stayed in untouched.

Off to the House.

David Dayen at American Prospect:

the oversight is largely after the fact, without subpoena power, and mainly reduced to writing reports. How exactly do you expect a small, underfunded panel to find fraud in a $4.25 trillion lending facility! Especially when the current administration explicitly believes they are not required to turn over anything to Congress....

there’s apparently only a buyback ban for the term of the loan. The money cannon can therefore go to executive compensation or mergers or wholesale purchases of distressed businesses or whatever other financial engineering the accounting department can muster. And once the company returns to health, it can leak out cash to investors (and during the loan too, in dividends). There’s no requirement to keep workers hired; in fact, the (necessary) provision to boost unemployment insurance for four months to 100 percent of median salary (including furloughed workers, gig workers and freelancers) means that these companies can fire with relative impunity.

the Federal Reserve, which can transfer money from the cash cannon with ease, runs the corporate bailout, the hapless Small Business Administration will deal with the small businesses; they have been endlessly criticized for delays on their couple billion in loan guarantee programs, let alone $300 billion. The monopolists get concierge service, the small businesses get to take a number. And the result will almost certainly be massive concentration of power.

https://prospect.org/coronavirus/unsanitized-bailouts-tradition-unlike-any-other/#.Xnv2ua__Ktw.twitter

How long before the effects of the depression are widely felt.
& can the rich actually feel like they can secede from the rest of society. Or do they need somebody to be richer than.

Difficult to have a revolution and keep social distancing intact.

Oh Schumer. I’m with those like David Dayen and Zach Carter decrying the deal, but I see some claiming this is the best we can get. Ugh

Charles Pierce thinks it’s the best that can be done but I see David Atkins , blogger , disagreeing with him on twitter

Meanwhile Barr is reopening 2 Immigration courts including 1 in Seattle on March 30, and Trump’s EPA is getting ready to weaken EPA rules on coal ash and mercury. Turrible

Yes, what we need now is looser restrictions on mercury

where has Obama been through all this? I know he doesn't have to be out there but he's still the most popular figure in the party and the presumptive nominee is gonna just sleep through it

he's being careful as per usual

I had the same question; what else, he's tweeting about it. Even though I think the argument that people make about Biden--he doesn't hold office, it's not his place, etc.--can more legitimately be applied to Obama as an ex-president, I still find it a weak one.

Having said that, something that came up with Trump the other day--has he consulted/enlisted any ex-presidents?--was even worse, I'd say: no, of course not.

the ghost of Andrew Jackson iirc

Clinton. Bush, and Obama hate his guts and the feeling's mutual.

Right. He hasn't, and even it the thought crossed his mind--which it didn't--he couldn't and wouldn't.

Why need those Scrubs when he's got every dictator on speed dial?

the ghost of Andrew Jackson iirc

this seems most accurate. he has probably spent more time looking at the painting of jackson next to his desk, having an imaginary conversation about how they're both the best presidents, than actual conversations with recent living presidents

what kind of fucking prick puts a painting of andrew jackson next to their desk? still can't get over that, after all these years

I like it bc there is absolutely no fucking way he knew a single thing about Jackson until guys like Bannon got in his ear

I'm sure he's seen a $20 bill in his life.

Clinton. Bush, and Obama hate his guts and the feeling's mutual.

(Yoda voice) there is another (/Yoda voice)

Quick, somebody ask Carter how he feels about Trump

I omitted Carter on purpose; as usual he's his own man.

I'm sure he's seen a $20 bill in his life.

yeah, but how many people did benjamin franklin, perhaps our nation's finest president of all, kill? gotta go for jackson

I'd urge a campaign to try and get Trump talking about President Franklin but after a while watching someone proudly demonstrate their immense stupidity just becomes sad.

I wonder, if someone asked Asshole what his job was as president, what he would say.

to issue commands

it begins

The Washington Post reports:

Seattle NPR member station KUOW has issued a statement to explain its editorial decision to refrain from broadcasting live daily briefings hosted by President Trump and including members of the White House coronavirus task force.

“After airing the White House briefings live for two weeks, a pattern of false information and exaggeration increasingly had many at KUOW questioning whether these briefings were in the best service of our mission — to create and serve a more informed public,” notes the statement, posted Wednesday afternoon.

“Of even greater concern was the potential impact of false information on the health and safety of our community.” KUOW provided three examples of bogus information stemming from the briefings. All of them — surprise — came from President Trump.

famed liberal media stalwart NPR

"someone's funding gonna get cut"
"mr pres it's already 0 except grants"
"cut those, then bill them then sue them!"

guy didn’t even have to start a war to get people killed

sad lol

NPR stations get almost no funding from the government btw

as noted above

lol good ol' Chuck

Happy bday @SpeakerPelosi We often disagree but I admire your commitment 2public service &willingness to wrk w me on issues like USMCA+lowering Rx drug prices Cooperation btwn us is what itll take to get drug prices lowered Working 2gether across party lines is esp important now

— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) March 26, 2020

I'm still back on Grassley's weirdly horny Dairy Queen tweet

has he consulted/enlisted any ex-presidents?--was even worse, I'd say: no, of course not.

He's consulting Jared, and Jared is consulting Facebook randos.