Trump shocks in time of crisis with his standard approach

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/20/politics/trump-coronavirus-all-about-him/index.html

 Even after three tumultuous years in which President Donald Trump has shredded the decorum of his office, his unwillingness to provide unifying leadership still has the power to shock.

Trump's daily coronavirus task force press briefing has become the chief exhibit in this deficit of national stewardship and has largely shed any purpose in conveying useful information at a fraught moment — if that was ever the aim.

Instead, the President spends his time perpetually trying to repair his own image by disguising his belated and faulty response to the emergency.

But his refusal to accept any responsibility at all raises questions about what he thinks the presidency, a problem-solving job of last resort where the buck stops, is actually for.

The President's plan to use Sunday's briefing to polish his own personal narrative became clear when he read out and held up a Wall Street Journal opinion column praising his leadership.

 

 

Trump, Head of Government, Leans Into Antigovernment Message

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/20/us/politics/trump-coronavirus.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage

With his poll numbers fading after a rally-around-the-leader bump, the president is stoking protests against stay-at-home orders.

But the president, who ran as an insurgent in 2016, is most comfortable raging against the machine of government, even when he is the one running the country. And while the coronavirus is in every state in the union, it is heavily affecting minority and low-income communities.

Recovered from coronavirus, United Hatzalah chief Eli Beer to return to Israel

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/278902

Eli Beer, United Hatzalah's president and founder, has made a full recovery and will land in Israel on Tuesday.

 

GOP Governor Criticizes Trump for Encouraging State Protests Against Stay-at-Home Orders: 'It Just Doesn't Make Any Sense'

https://www.newsweek.com/gop-governor-criticizes-trump-encouraging-state-protests-against-stay-home-orders-it-just-1498814

Maryland's Governor Larry Hogan questioned the logic of President Donald Trump encouraging demonstrations against stringent "stay-at-home" and "shelter-in-place" orders in several states, noting that the demonstrators were essentially protesting guidelines put forward by the White House's Coronavirus Task Force.

Hogan, a Republican, faced a protest within his own state, as demonstrators drove cars, waved flags and honked their horns through Maryland's capital Annapolis on Saturday. The protesters were calling for Hogan to reopen businesses and the economy, despite guidelines put forward by the Trump administration and a growing number of cases of the coronavirus nationwide.

"I don't think it's helpful to encourage demonstrations and encourage people to go against the president's own policy," the GOP governor said during an interview with CNN's State of the Union Sunday. "For example, I mentioned earlier, the president's policy says you can't start to reopen under his plan until you have declining numbers for 14 days, which those [other] states [with protests] and my state do not have," he explained.

 

Trump's approval rally has disappeared

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/19/politics/trump-approval-rating-rally/index.html

Trump's approval rating is down significantly from 49% in March, while his disapproval rating is up 9 points from 45%.

What's the point: Trump received a clear boost in his approval rating as the coronavirus pandemic began to grip the country. His net approval rating (approval - disapproval) among voters shot up to its highest point since the first month of his presidency. But now, just weeks later, Trump's popularity has been dropping.

Looking at the data, Trump seems to have had one of the fastest retreats of a rally around the flag effect in modern polling history.

Trump's net approval rating stood at -10 points among voters in an aggregate of polls as late as March 11. Less than three weeks later, it got up to -4 points on March 27. Today, it's back down to -8 points.

 

Antibody Test, Seen as Key to Reopening Country, Does Not Yet Deliver

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/19/us/coronavirus-antibody-tests.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage

 The tests, many made in China without F.D.A. approval, are often inaccurate. Some doctors are misusing them. The rollout is nowhere close to the demand.

The Food and Drug Administration has allowed about 90 companies, many based in China, to sell tests that have not gotten government vetting, saying the pandemic warrants an urgent response. But the agency has since warned that some of those businesses are making false claims about their products; health officials, like their counterparts overseas, have found others deeply flawed.

 

Fact check: Trump's Saturday coronavirus briefing was littered with false claims, old and new

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/18/politics/fact-check-coronavirus-briefing-april-18/index.html

 It's hard to know where to begin fact checking.

President Donald Trump's latest coronavirus press conference on Saturday afternoon was littered with false claims about both the pandemic crisis and various unrelated matters Trump decided to talk about, from North Korea and Iran to Chinese tariffs.

Trump continued to be dishonest on the critical subject of coronavirus testing, wrongly claiming he "inherited" faulty tests -- they were developed this year, during his presidency -- and painting an overly rosy picture of the US testing situation.

He also repeated several of the false claims he likes to make at his campaign rallies.

Here's a rundown of the claims and the facts.

Speaking about testing for the coronavirus, Trump said, "I inherited broken junk." This is a claim he has made multiple times, and which we have fact checked multiple times as well.

Facts First: The faulty initial test for the coronavirus was created during Trump's administration in early 2020 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since this is a new virus that was first identified this year, the bad tests couldn't possibly be "inherited."

"He is lying. He is lying 100%. He is lying because he is trying to shift blame to others, even if the attempt is totally nonsensical," Gregg Gonsalves, an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at the Yale School of Public Health, said of an earlier version of this Trump claim.

 In addition to claiming President Obama left him with a depleted stockpile of medical supplies, Trump said Obama left him with "no ammunition."

"If you remember when I first came in, we didn't have ammunition," Trump said. "Not a good way to fight a war. President Obama left us no ammunition, OK."

Facts First: It's not true that the US had "no ammunition" at the beginning of Trump's presidency. Rather, according to the public comments of military leaders, there was a shortfall in certain kinds of munitions, particularly precision-guided bombs, late in the Obama presidency and early in the Trump presidency.

In the past, the President has attributed this claim to an unnamed general. While we don't know what a general might have told him in private, you can read a full fact check of Trump's claims about munitions levels here.

Elizabeth Goitein: Trump 'Doesn't Quite Understand' COVID-19 Pandemic Is Not A War | MSNBC

Antiviral drug remdesivir prevents COVID-19 progression in monkeys - study

https://www.jpost.com/HEALTH-SCIENCE/Antiviral-drug-remdesivir-prevents-COVID-19-progression-in-monkeys-study-625102

The study, led by the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases involved two groups of six rhesus macaque monkeys that were intentionally infected with the respiratory disease.

President of Taiwan: How My Country Prevented a Major Outbreak of COVID-19

https://time.com/collection/finding-hope-coronavirus-pandemic/5820596/taiwan-coronavirus-lessons/

Taiwan is an island of resilience. Centuries of hardship have compelled our society to cope, adapt, and survive trying circumstances. We have found ways to persevere through difficult times together as a nation, and the COVID-19 pandemic is no different. Despite the virus’s highly infectious nature and our proximity to its source, we have prevented a major outbreak. As of April 14, we have had fewer than 400 confirmed cases.

 

King Trump asks you to liberate America

After being insulted by "experts", telling him that contrary to his claims he lacks absolute powers to do what he wants - Trump said he would show everyone that he has more power than they could imagine and has brilliantly retaliated by asking residents of three  states run by Democrats to liberate them from the restrictive health measures suggested by his own federal health experts to stop the Chinese virus

I protest strongly why just these 3 states? 

All of America needs to revolt against the Democracy run by the deep state Democrats Leftists and the Fake media  to liberate it and appoint Trump as king.

All Americans should have this freedom to be stupid and not be told what to do by Nanny state agents. Only the stable genius- appointed by Divine decree- should guide us over the cliff. It is inherent in nature that Man was created to be free to be stupid. Only the Science worshiping Democrats insist on taking away this freedom. Join Trump the Republican party and Fox News and all true lovers of freedom in returning Mankind to its intended state of freedom and moral purity! Trump 2020 and forever!

White House Advisor Reportedly Compares Protesters Fighting States' Stay-at-Home Orders to Rosa Parks

https://time.com/5823799/white-house-trump-rosa-parks/

Conservative economist Stephen Moore compared protestors demonstrating against states’ stay-at-home orders to the Civil Rights Era icon Rosa Parks, according to a Washington Post article published Friday night.

Groups of protestors have reportedly rallied in at least six states this week to demand state governments lessen orders requiring the closure of nonessential businesses and schools in an attempt to stem the spread of coronavirus.

In a statement to the Washington Post, conservative economist Stephen Moore reportedly said, “I think there’s a boiling point that has been reached and exceeded.” Moore belongs on the White House council focused on “re-opening” the country’s economy and as well as a coalition of conservative leaders advocating for steps to lessen the country’s lockdown, according to the Post.

“I call these people the modern-day Rosa Parks — they are protesting against injustice and a loss of liberties,” Moore said about the protesters, according to the Post.

Coronavirus immunity offered to donors of charity linked to major rabbi

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Rabbi-Chaim-Kanievsky-promises-coronavirus-immunity-for-donors-of-NIS-3000-625053

 A charity organization run by one of the most senior rabbinic leaders of the ultra-Orthodox world, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, promises complete protection from the coronavirus in return for a donation of NIS 3,000.

The charity association named Kupat Ha’ir (City Fund) advertised on its Facebook page that anyone who donates NIS 3,000 will be protected from getting the coronavirus. The idea behind the website’s campaign is that by donating money to sick families and people in need, donors will be protected according to the Jewish halachic principle of middah k’neged middah or “measure for measure.”

Rabbi Edelstein: Take care to maintain precautions during prayer

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/278833

Rabbinic leader says it's still better to pray alone if precautions cannot be maintained in group prayer, after restrictions loosened.
 
The dean of the Ponivezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak and the president of Degel Hatorah’s Council of Torah Sages, Rabbi Gershon Edelstein, urged his students to be stringent and pray individually if precautions cannot maintained, despite the government's decision loosening restrictions on public prayer.
The government on Sunday morning adopted new guidelines for dealing with the coronavirus, including permission to hold prayer groups of up to 19 people, at a distance of up to 500 meters from one's residence or place of work and in an open area, with a distance of at least 2 meters between people.

Coronavirus deniers take aim at hospitals as pandemic grows

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/coronavirus-deniers-take-aim-hospitals-pandemic-grows-n1172336

 Two videos illustrate the stark disparity in how the coronavirus outbreak is being portrayed on different parts of the internet.

Jon Meacham: Trump's Temperament Is A National Security Issue | The 11th Hour | MSNBC

Trump falls on his face trying to justify his tweets encouraging uprisings

Trump responds to criticism over his 'liberation' tweets

Trump tweets about 'liberating' some states

Trump Tells Three States To 'LIBERATE' As U.S. Death Toll Tops 36,000 | The 11th Hour | MSNBC

Chanting ‘lock her up,’ Michigan protesters waving Trump flags mass against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s coronavirus restrictions

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/04/16/michigan-whitmer-conservatives-protest/

If all roads in Michigan lead to the state capitol, conservative protesters on Wednesday made sure they were closed.

For miles, thousands of drivers clogged the streets to demand Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) ease restrictions and allow them to go back to work. They drowned downtown Lansing, Mich., in a cacophony of honking. They blared patriotic songs from car radios, waving all sorts of flags from the windows — President Trump flags, American flags and the occasional Confederate flag.

 

Trump is playing with fire

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/18/opinions/trump-is-playing-with-fire-ghitis/index.html

 President Donald Trump is playing with fire. Just 24 hours after he told the nation's governors, "You are going to call your own shots," when it comes to reopening the economy, the President posted a series of incendiary messages on Twitter that seemed to incite his followers to revolt against the current orders to stay at home.

 

"LIBERATE MICHIGAN!" one tweet shouted in capital letters. He issued similar tweets calling for the liberation of Minnesota and Virginia, including a disturbing addendum for loyalists to "save your great 2nd Amendment," adding, "It is under siege!" It is unclear why Trump brought up gun rights in apparent references to pandemic mitigation measures, but the language is familiar. Who can forget his comments at a rally in 2016, when he considered the possibility that Hillary Clinton might win the presidential election? "If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do folks," Trump said before adding, "Although the Second Amendment people -- maybe there is, I don't know."

A Key G.O.P. Strategy: Blame China. But Trump Goes Off Message.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/18/us/politics/trump-china-virus.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

Republicans increasingly believe that elevating China’s culpability for spreading the coronavirus may be the best way to improve their difficult election chances. The president is muddying the message.

 

Rising Shortage of Dialysis Units Alarms Doctors

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/18/us/coronavirus-updates.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage

Kidney specialists now estimate that 20 percent to 40 percent of patients in intensive care suffered kidney failure and needed emergency dialysis. Outside of New York, the growing demand for kidney treatments is becoming a major burden on hospitals in emerging hot spots like Boston, Chicago, New Orleans and Detroit.

 

White House defends Ivanka Trump's personal travel amid lockdown

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52317673

The White House has defended Ivanka Trump's personal trip to New Jersey last week even as federal guidelines advise Americans to remain at home.

The president's eldest daughter and her family travelled from Washington DC to the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster to celebrate Passover.

Time to fire Jared and Ivanka

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/16/opinions/fire-ivanka-and-jared-passover-travel-bergen/index.html

 The hypocrisy of the Kushner and Trump's behavior is breathtaking.

Kushner has now positioned himself as the overall czar of the coronavirus relief effort. Just like his dismal peace-making efforts in the Middle East, Kushner has added another layer of confusion to the muddled White House coronavirus response by, for example, promoting the speedy development of drive-thru nationwide testing sites that still haven't materialized.

Meanwhile Ivanka Trump, a White House adviser, has positioned herself as an avatar of social distancing, telling her 8.5 million followers on Twitter on April 12, "There's no substitute for social distancing."

 Ivanka Trump traveled to New Jersey to celebrate Passover despite coronavirus guidelines

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/16/politics/ivanka-trump-travels-to-new-jersey-coronavirus/index.html

  Ivanka Trump traveled with her family from Washington to Bedminster, New Jersey, last week to celebrate Passover, a White House official said Thursday.

Trump's decision to leave Washington, first reported by The New York Times, disregarded the federal coronavirus guidelines advising against discretionary travel that she has urged other Americans to follow.

"Ivanka -- with her immediate family -- celebrated Passover at a closed down facility considered to be a family home. Her travel was no different than had she been traveling to/from work and the location was less populated than the surrounding area near her home in D.C.," the official told CNN in a statement Thursday.

The official continued, "While at Bedminster she has been practicing social distancing and working remotely. Her travel was not commercial. She chose to spend a holiday in private with her family."

U.K. Paid $20 Million for New Coronavirus Tests. They Didn’t Work.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/16/world/middleeast/coronavirus-antibody-test-uk.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

 The two Chinese companies were offering a risky proposition: two million home test kits said to detect antibodies for the coronavirus for at least $20 million, take it or leave it.

The asking price was high, the technology was unproven and the money had to be paid upfront. And the buyer would be required to pick up the crate loads of test kits from a facility in China.

Yet British officials took the deal, according to a senior civil servant involved, then confidently promised tests would be available at pharmacies in as little as two weeks. “As simple as a pregnancy test,” gushed Prime Minister Boris Johnson. “It has the potential to be a total game changer.”

There was one problem, however. The tests did not work.

 

White House adviser to 60 Minutes: Show me your pandemic story

Failure: Debunking Trump's Dangerous New Attack On W.H.O During Pandemic | MSNBC