Monday, April 6, 2020
How Bill de Blasio Failed New York City
Much has been wanting about Trump’s response to the outbreak. But de
Blasio’s fulminations against Trump are clearly meant to divert from his
own failures of leadership. De Blasio equivocated on obvious measures
like closing schools. He could not even bring himself to close the
city’s playgrounds. When these were finally shuttered, it was by decree
of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. De Blasio went along with the plan
reluctantly—“I respect that,” he said of the decision—like a child being
dragged to the dentist by his determined dad. On WYNC on Friday,
he said researchers had only discovered “in the last 48 hours” that
asymptomatic people can spread the disease. If Trump made the same
preposterous claim, there would be howling calls for impeachment,
renewed questions about his state of mind. Public-health professionals
have known for months how the coronavirus spreads and who can do the
spreading. If de Blasio didn't know, the fault is fully his own.
ZAKA head: Ultra-Orthodox ‘completely confused’ by virus, looking for leadership
https://www.timesofisrael.com/zaka-head-ultra-orthodox-completely-confused-by-virus-looking-for-leadership/
The head of the ZAKA voluntary emergency organization, which has been
helping implement restrictions in ultra-Orthodox communities in order
to halt the spread of the coronavirus, said Sunday that there is vast
confusion among Israel’s Haredim about the pandemic, and a growing sense
of disappointment among the community that their leadership has failed
them.
After Trump Bans All N95 Mask Exports, Canadians Remind U.S. That They Helped Americans After 9/11
https://time.com/5816072/canada-n95-mask-ban-reaction/
Canadians across the country expressed hurt and disappointment that
their neighbor and longstanding ally is blocking shipments of the masks
from the United States to ensure they are available in the U.S. during
the coronavirus pandemic. Canadian health care workers — like those in
the U.S. — are in dire need of the masks that provide more protection
against the virus that causes COVID-19.
Black hat hackers: 6 things to know for April 6
https://www.timesofisrael.com/black-hat-hackers-6-things-to-know-for-april-6/
Netanyahu reportedly waffles on expanding closures to additional Haredi towns and neighborhoods as ultra-Orthodox ministers accuse him of singling out their community
Jared Kushner's spine-chilling new role
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/03/opinions/jared-kushners-spine-chilling-new-role-ghitis/index.html
Kushner's translucent presence -- his
affect, bereft of even the slightest hint of empathy, in perfect
synchrony with his callous words -- was a spectacle suitable for our
nightmarish times.
Now we know why Trump has put him in charge of so many intractable problems. Kushner is afflicted by a superabundance of unwarranted self-confidence. He is an introverted Trump; arrogance without flamboyance.
Kushner chastised
governors, with citizens literally gasping for air, for asking the
federal government to help find life-saving ventilators. "Don't ask us
for things when you don't know what you have in your own state. Just
because you're scared, you ask your medical professionals and they don't
know," he reprimanded.
\
Coronavirus patient arrested on bus to Jerusalem
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/278320
Police arrested a coronavirus patient on a public bus on his way to Jerusalem Sunday.
The
incident began when police received information from the patient's
family, and a check by the police about his whereabouts revealed that
the patient was most likely on a public bus making his way on Route 1,
toward Jerusalem.
'He's a total disgrace': Trump defends firing U.S. intel watchdog
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-inspectorgeneral/hes-a-total-disgrace-trump-defends-firing-us-intel-watchdog-idUSKBN21M0KK
Atkinson’s firing prompted concerns among some Congressional Republicans and criticism from Democrats.
U.S. Senator Richard Burr, who chairs the Senate Intelligence
Committee, praised Atkinson, while noting Trump has the authority to
fire him.
“Like any political appointee, the inspector general
serves at the behest of the Executive,” Burr, a Republican from North
Carolina, said in a statement on Saturday. “However, in order to be
effective, the IG must be allowed to conduct his or her work independent
of internal or external pressure.”
U.S. Senator Charles Grassley, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, demanded a better explanation for Atkinson’s firing.
“Congress
has been crystal clear that written reasons must be given when IGs are
removed for a lack of confidence,” he said. “More details are needed
from the administration.”
Trump's coronavirus mismanagement again undercuts his CEO image
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/05/politics/president-management-covid-2020/index.html
In
his closing argument before the 2016 election, Donald Trump pointed
voters toward his "under budget and ahead of schedule" new Washington
hotel: "A metaphor for what we can accomplish for this country."
Trump
pitched himself as a successful businessman and an executive, even
though his actual record included a string of spectacular bankruptcies
and lawsuits -- including an effort during the 2008 financial crisis to sidestep
a $40 million debt to Deutsche Bank by invoking a "force majeure"
clause likening the economic catastrophe to riots or floods. Rather
than pay what he owed, he sued the bank claiming harm to his finances
and reputation, eventually settling out of court.
He has insisted the virus "snuck up on
us," faulting China for failing to give "earlier notice." Earlier, when
minimizing the risks posed by the disease, he said China's "very hard" work would protect Americans.
He
has blamed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for years in
which it "did nothing" to upgrade testing systems. Earlier, at CDC
headquarters, he called testing "perfect" and available to all.
As the damage has grown, so have Trump's attempts to absolve himself.
"I don't need to have the numbers double because of one ship that wasn't our fault," he said, explaining his desire to keep a cruise ship with infected Americans offshore.
"I don't take responsibility at all," he said of the administration's testing woes.
Ultra-Orthodox community feeling stigmatized over coronavirus allegations
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Ultra-Orthodox-community-feeling-stigmatized-over-coronavirus-allegations-623673
“We have been turned into lepers and criminals.”
These were the words of David Rubinstein, a resident of the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, one of the main epicenters of the coronavirus in Israel and currently on a full lockdown because of the severity of the outbreak there.
Sunday, April 5, 2020
חולה קורונה נתפס עם נוסעים באוטובוס לירושלים
https://www.kikar.co.il/354666.html
חוסר אחריות: כוח משטרה עצר היום חולה קורונה חרדי שברח מבידוד בחיפה ונסע באוטובוס 'אגד' לירושלים • עשרות הנוסעים נשלחו לבידוד • נהג האוטובוס קיבל קנס
Coronavirus Is Coming—And Trump Isn’t Ready
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/01/now-trump-needs-deep-state-fight-coronavirus/605752/
We all knew the moment would come. It could have been over Iran or
North Korea, a hurricane or an earthquake. But it may be the new
coronavirus out of China that tests whether President Donald Trump can
govern in a crisis—and there is ample reason to be uneasily skeptical.
The
U.S. government has the tools, talent, and team to help fight the
coronavirus abroad and minimize its impact at home. But the combination
of Trump’s paranoia toward experienced government officials (who lack
“loyalty” to him), inattention to detail, opinionated rejection of
science and evidence, and isolationist instincts may prove toxic when it
comes to managing a global-health security challenge. To succeed, Trump
will have to trust the kind of government experts he has disdained to
date, set aside his own terrible instincts, lead from the White House,
and work closely with foreign leaders and global institutions—all things
he has failed to do in his first 1,200 days in office.
Trump briefly withdrew from politics after his “birther” campaign
against President Barack Obama was discredited, but his next big public
splash was a virulent, xenophobic, fearmongering outburst over the West
African Ebola epidemic of 2014. Trump’s numerous tweets—calling Obama a
“dope” and “incompetent” for his handling of the epidemic—were both
wrongheaded and consequential: One study found that Trump’s tweets were the single largest factor in panicking the American people in the fall of 2014.
How paranoid and cruel was Trump? He blasted Obama for evacuating an
American missionary back to the United States when that doctor
contracted Ebola while fighting the disease in Africa. Fortunately,
Obama ignored Trump’s protests, and Kent Brantley was successfully
treated in the U.S.; he continues doing good works today.
Some of the world’s leading infectious-disease experts continue to
serve in the administration, led by the incomparable Tony Fauci at the
National Institutes of Health, and the level-headed Anne Schuchat at the
CDC. These two, along with other leaders at key science agencies (and
scores of men and women working for them), have decades of experience
serving under presidents of both parties, and are among the world’s best
at what they do.
Rush Limbaugh So Mad At Deep State Coronavirus Liars Like Dr. Fauci, He Just Might Die!
https://www.wonkette.com/rush-limbaugh-so-mad-at-deep-staters-like-dr-fauci-he-just-might-die
Rush Limbaugh is telling your Republican parents
that it's cool to go outside and play right now, because the so-called
"experts" in the White House are actually just Deep State plants sent
(probably by Hillary Clinton) to make Donald Trump look bad.
You know, Rush Limbaugh has advanced lung cancer and he's not dead yet -- clearly -- but if he keeps going like this, ignoring the actual science about coronavirus, he might end up killing himself at least seven minutes before God planned to, and he might take a bunch of his old-balls-ass listeners with him in the process.
Right-Wing Influencers Are Convinced Dr. Anthony Fauci Is Working With Hillary Clinton To Undermine Donald Trump
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/qanon-right-wing-influencers-fauci-deep-state-clinton
Right-wing influencers and QAnon supporters are waging
an information war against Anthony Fauci, the director of the National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and top-ranking member of
the White House's Coronavirus Task Force. They are falsely claiming that
Fauci is working with Hillary Clinton and the deep state to cause an
economic collapse and discredit President Donald Trump.
Coronavirus: Fox News host criticises top health expert for 'national suicide plan'
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/coronavirus-fox-news-tucker-carlson-dr-anthony-fauci-shutdown-national-suicide-a9447756.html
Fox News host Tucker Carlson has criticised infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci over his national recommendations to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Mr Carlson used time on his show on Friday evening to release a diatribe against the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and his suggestion of a nationwide lockdown.
"More than 10 million Americans have already lost their jobs," Mr
Carlson said. "Imagine another year of this. That would be national
suicide, and yet, that is what Anthony Fauci is suggesting, at least."
Anthony Fauci becomes a fringe MAGA target
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/24/anthony-fauci-fringe-maga-target-147401
The far-right’s most zealous Trump supporters have set their sights on Dr. Anthony Fauci.
To the vast majority of Republicans,
the entire medical community and the country at large, Fauci is the
government’s leading infectious disease expert, respected for providing
Americans with consistent, factual information about the coronavirus
pandemic — even if it means contradicting President Donald Trump while
he hovers feet away.
But to a vocal minority of right-wing
blogs and pro-Trump pundits, Fauci is the embodiment of the
establishment forces that have been arrayed against the president since
he came to Washington. And those voices are getting louder amid
rumblings about Fauci’s standing with Trump as the president itches to
get the economy restarted in the coming weeks.
Another Thing to Fear Out There: Coronavirus Scammers
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/05/us/politics/coronavirus-scams-fraud-price-gouging.html
The white banner with images of red
crosses had been hastily erected in front of two pop-up tents at a
convenience store parking lot in central Louisville, Ky. “Covid-19
testing here,” it read.
A clutch of
workers in white hazmat suits swabbed the mouths of drivers, who had
each forked over $240 to learn whether they had been infected with the
coronavirus.
“I have managed hospitals for years,” a man in charge told journalists and skeptical community activists at the scene on Wednesday. “We are doing things the right way.”
Jared Kushner and his shadow corona unit: what is Trump's son-in-law up to?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/05/jared-kushner-coronavirus-aid-trump-governors
His vast responsibilities include weighing requests from governors for aid and coordinating with private companies to obtain medical equipment, work he carries out from a special post
created for him inside the Federal Emergency Management Agency, where
his team is called “the Slim Suit crowd” for their distinctive
tailoring, the New York Times has reported.
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