Trump outrage of the day

[former player]

Are you folks keeping up with what's been happening in Portland, OR?


I wonder why Governor Brown hasn't deployed the National Guard to defend the peaceful protesters against Trump's unmarked army.

I'm reading this article & it's unreal. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/07/17/portland-protests-federal-arrests/

 Since when do federal officers in the US detain citizens without cause, put them in jail overnight and release them?    This is a real sign of looming tyranny.

Not that I didn't say/warn about it when Trump was elected - but that type of shit is what really started the Nazis here. You know that "First they came for..." poem?
Yeah, it is exactly about that.
Even if you are the farthest right winger who wants to spit on those protesters, if you really care for freedom, you should be in flames about that.

For preference, go to the courts and get an instant (permanent, running) writ of Habeas Corpus against whoever these feds are to release any person they lay hands on.  And anyone they have laid hands on should sue for false imprisonment.

Although one of the big problems in the Trump Presidency has been the failure of the USA courts, both federal and state, to act promptly and effectively.  That's been an even bigger problem in holding Trump to account than the faillure of Congress.

I expect the next publications of the various Freedom and anti-corruption indexes to have the USA sliding rapidly downwards.

[OtherJen]

Can we concentrate on the biggest thing?

COVID is controlled in most Western nations now... and it`s getting worse in the US.

It`s more prevalent now than it was when the US went into the quarantine to avoid the outbreak getting worse.

If I remember right the USA is one of 3 countries where you are still not allowed to enter Germany. Just because you said quarantine ;)

Are you folks keeping up with what's been happening in Portland, OR?


I wonder why Governor Brown hasn't deployed the National Guard to defend the peaceful protesters against Trump's unmarked army.

I'm reading this article & it's unreal. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/07/17/portland-protests-federal-arrests/

 Since when do federal officers in the US detain citizens without cause, put them in jail overnight and release them?    This is a real sign of looming tyranny.

Not that I didn't say/warn about it when Trump was elected - but that type of shit is what really started the Nazis here. You know that "First they came for..." poem?
Yeah, it is exactly about that.
Even if you are the farthest right winger who wants to spit on those protesters, if you really care for freedom, you should be in flames about that.

Yep. And those of us who actually paid attention to history and civics are appalled and afraid of the future. Like someone else said, Portland was a dress rehearsal to see how far they could go, with the country distracted and weakened by COVID and largely unable to leave. They go farther every time.

And our "libertarian" militias and provocateur groups, the ones who stormed out and other states' capitols because they wanted haircuts, are still throwing toddler tantrums about masks. Not a peep about the constitutional violations in Portland. Fucking hypocrites.

[MasterStache]

Trump was fact checked by Chris Wallace again in a somewhat heated interview. Trump claimed Biden signed onto a charter that defunds/abolishes the police. In fact that bill proposes very sensible police reform such as banning choke holds, ending racial profiling and allowing victims of abuse to pursue civil litigation. It says absolutely nothing about defunding/abolishing the police. Trump later doubled down by claiming Biden is "just using different words."

What I find probably most interesting isn't Trump's ability to lie to America as that is very well documented thousands of times over. It's that he simply can't find anything bad to say about Biden or shake his resolve. He is now resorting to turning obviously positive and productive reforms into negatives.

I just hope Biden's campaign is taking lots of notes. This kind of stuff can be thrown right back at Trump in debates.   

[LaineyAZ]

Are you folks keeping up with what's been happening in Portland, OR?


I wonder why Governor Brown hasn't deployed the National Guard to defend the peaceful protesters against Trump's unmarked army.

I'm reading this article & it's unreal. 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/07/17/portland-protests-federal-arrests/

 Since when do federal officers in the US detain citizens without cause, put them in jail overnight and release them?    This is a real sign of looming tyranny.

I agree.  This is the most disturbing thing I've read in months, and yet I'm not shocked.  Tells us that the rule of law is definitely breaking down.

[Dancin'Dog]

Are you folks keeping up with what's been happening in Portland, OR?


I wonder why Governor Brown hasn't deployed the National Guard to defend the peaceful protesters against Trump's unmarked army.

I'm reading this article & it's unreal. 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/07/17/portland-protests-federal-arrests/

 Since when do federal officers in the US detain citizens without cause, put them in jail overnight and release them?    This is a real sign of looming tyranny.

I agree.  This is the most disturbing thing I've read in months, and yet I'm not shocked.  Tells us that the rule of law is definitely breaking down.

I wonder how all of the retired generals are feeling about this?  Did they not consider what a madman like Trump might be capable of?  The only power they have now is on the sidelines discussing it with reporters.  Hopefully, the remaining generals won't allow Trump to go too far, but we all know that they aren't programed to question authority.  And then there's the MAGA army to consider...


I'd just like to wake up from this nightmare, and enjoy a peaceful cup of coffee. 

[Norioch]

White House seeks to block funds for coronavirus testing and tracing in relief bill

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/18/white-house-seeks-to-block-funds-for-testing-in-coronavirus-relief-bill-report.html

[talltexan]

It feels like Trump isn't even trying to work on this "corona virus problem" thingy anymore.

[ixtap]

It feels like Trump isn't even trying to work on this "corona virus problem" thingy anymore.

Didnja hear? He was right, it is going to just disappear!

[OtherJen]

It feels like Trump isn't even trying to work on this "corona virus problem" thingy anymore.

That's because he isn't. One might argue that he never was, although he did give us the Very Stable Genius solution of "stop testing and there won't be so many cases."

[sherr]

I wonder how all of the retired generals are feeling about this?  Did they not consider what a madman like Trump might be capable of?  The only power they have now is on the sidelines discussing it with reporters.  Hopefully, the remaining generals won't allow Trump to go too far, but we all know that they aren't programed to question authority.  And then there's the MAGA army to consider...

Your average enlisted man is certainly programmed for obedience, but people who rise to the rank of General are generally very intelligent and thoughtful. There has been an absolute historic outpouring of public statements from current/retired generals against Trump in the last few years, and that was before the secret police began abducting people.

[rocketpj]

Unmarked masked men in anonymous vans grabbing unarmed protesters off the street without charge?

How would a protestor know they weren't being kidnapped by a non-government militia?

[OtherJen]

The Very Stable Genius (TM)-in-Chief of the United States, folks!

Transcript: 'Fox News Sunday' interview with President Trump (7/19/20)

[OtherJen]

Unmarked masked men in anonymous vans grabbing unarmed protesters off the street without charge?

How would a protestor know they weren't being kidnapped by a non-government militia?

Excellent question. And if they were legally armed and rationally drew their weapon, I'm sure we would see a violation of their 2nd Amendment rights in addition to the violations of their 1st, 4th, and 5th amendment rights.

Where are the right-wing libertarian anti-government overreach types? They're conspicuously silent in the face of the US Stasi.

[Kris]

Unmarked masked men in anonymous vans grabbing unarmed protesters off the street without charge?

How would a protestor know they weren't being kidnapped by a non-government militia?

Excellent question. And if they were legally armed and rationally drew their weapon, I'm sure we would see a violation of their 2nd Amendment rights in addition to the violations of their 1st, 4th, and 5th amendment rights.

Where are the right-wing libertarian anti-government overreach types? They're conspicuously silent in the face of the US Stasi.

Exactly. All that braying about the 2nd Amendment and the well-regulated militia needed to fight against tyranny, and when literal tyranny actually happens, they’re like...

:crickets:

[GuitarStv]

Kinda exposes the lie about small arms being used to stop government tyranny for what it is at least.

[ysette9]

The Very Stable Genius (TM)-in-Chief of the United States, folks!

Transcript: 'Fox News Sunday' interview with President Trump (7/19/20)

I tried, I did. I got partway through the confederate names for bases and then died a little too much inside

[ysette9]

Kinda exposes the lie about small arms being used to stop government tyranny for what it is at least.

Oh come on, it just goes to show that the solution is MORE guns because clearly we don’t have enough on the streets already

[nereo]

I predict the ACLU will be quite busy for the next several years over what’s happened these last few weeks (and what I suspect is to come).

[EscapeVelocity2020]

Unmarked masked men in anonymous vans grabbing unarmed protesters off the street without charge?

How would a protestor know they weren't being kidnapped by a non-government militia?

It's a good thing Biden is not so given to conspiracy theories as Trump, or else he could stir up a bit of 'Putin is paying a bounty for unmarked Federal police to grab Americans' hysteria.  How would we even know if Russians were paying bounties on Oregonians? - so the conspiracy would go...

We are truly living in the craziest year ever and it could take the rest of my life to actually figure out what all happened.  That is, if Trump loses.  If Trump wins in November and is not impeached, we will never know.

[scottish]

Kinda exposes the lie about small arms being used to stop government tyranny for what it is at least.

You just had to say that didn't you, Steve!    Now all the firearms enthusiasts on this board will have to deal with weeks of agonizing cognitive dissonance regarding their 2nd amendment rights.

[scottish]

The Very Stable Genius (TM)-in-Chief of the United States, folks!

Transcript: 'Fox News Sunday' interview with President Trump (7/19/20)

I tried, I did. I got partway through the confederate names for bases and then died a little too much inside

That interview was freaking hilarious.    Trump is in full on con-man mode but he can't handle even Wallace's slow pitch questions.

[LaineyAZ]

Unmarked masked men in anonymous vans grabbing unarmed protesters off the street without charge?

How would a protestor know they weren't being kidnapped by a non-government militia?

Reminds me of the dystopian novel, The Fifth Sacred Thing, by Starhawk.  I distinctly recall a passage describing drones spying on and chasing peaceful protestors who were trying to run and hide.  This book was published in 1993, and here we are 27 years later watching it happen in real life.

[RetiredAt63]

Unmarked masked men in anonymous vans grabbing unarmed protesters off the street without charge?

How would a protestor know they weren't being kidnapped by a non-government militia?

Reminds me of the dystopian novel, The Fifth Sacred Thing, by Starhawk.  I distinctly recall a passage describing drones spying on and chasing peaceful protestors who were trying to run and hide.  This book was published in 1993, and here we are 27 years later watching it happen in real life.

Oh hell, Heinlein had it in Between Planets back in 1951.  The IBI = basically secret police.  There are times I think The Door Into Summer was true, he had a time machine, popped forward in time to see what was happening, then back to put it into a story.  He sure had it right on the religious right.

[EscapeVelocity2020]

One nice thing about reality being so horrible, it makes Trump's go-to fear mongering about Democrats taking this and that away (guns, babies, etc.) a whole lot less effective.  People are actually fearful about dying from the pandemic that is raging and crushing the economy, and has yet to be addressed.  Awfully hard to worry about some nebulous Democratic agenda when the current administration is actively fighting needed testing, floundering on economic support, and positively failing at fighting the pandemic.

[Travis]

Kinda exposes the lie about small arms being used to stop government tyranny for what it is at least.

You just had to say that didn't you, Steve!    Now all the firearms enthusiasts on this board will have to deal with weeks of agonizing cognitive dissonance regarding their 2nd amendment rights.

They'll use the example of heavily armed white Republicans storming the the Michigan state capitol building to protest masks and closing the economy.  Clearly Michigan police were afraid of their rifles.

Never mind that what it really represented was a state government restraining itself from immediately resorting to violence with protesters. Michigan did a decent job staying its hand with the racial protests just a month later.


And those "mu rites!" protesters are not concerned about police violence and renditions because it isn't happening to them.  They never said they were standing up for other people's rights.

[Kyle Schuant]

.And those "mu rites!" protesters are not concerned about police violence and renditions because it isn't happening to them.  They never said they were standing up for other people's rights.

Correct.

And people working permanent full-time secure jobs they can do from home are not concerned about lockdowns.

People tend to be self-interested, alas.

[Kris]

.And those "mu rites!" protesters are not concerned about police violence and renditions because it isn't happening to them.  They never said they were standing up for other people's rights.

Correct.

And people working permanent full-time secure jobs they can do from home are not concerned about lockdowns.

People tend to be self-interested, alas.

Lol the ones I see that are most concerned about lockdowns aren’t the ones who have been continuing to work. It’s the ones who want their mani-pedis and to go to their favorite restaurants.

Self-interested, yes, but not in the way you say.

[GuitarStv]

.And those "mu rites!" protesters are not concerned about police violence and renditions because it isn't happening to them.  They never said they were standing up for other people's rights.

Correct.

And people working permanent full-time secure jobs they can do from home are not concerned about lockdowns.

People tend to be self-interested, alas.

I'm able to do much of my job from home, and am concerned about lockdowns.

[ctuser1]

For everyone screaming about Portland - US Constitutional freedoms are suspended for 2/3rd of Americans who reside within 100 miles of the border.

https://www.aclu.org/other/constitution-100-mile-border-zone

No warrants needed, nor "reasonable suspicion"! Feds can search anybody, anywhere, for any reason or without reason. And then if feds really wanted to screw you, you can be prosecuted under FISA - i.e. no public hearings or anything.

As much as I generally like Eisenhower, he is to blame for the part 1 of this fiasco - the 100-mile border thing. You can thank the GWB junior and Patriot act for turbocharging and weaponizing FISA (originally enacted by Carter admin).

I am still hopeful that the exposure of this would lead to shedding a bright light on this and other (I'm looking at you - Patriot Act) unconstitutional stuff that is routinely upheld by the courts.

[LennStar]

Just for comparison, Corona in Tokyo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gBlYYxvDZk

[Just Joe]

But back to topic: Nobody said that individuals - or whole groups - are not soometimes into conspiracy theories. The way the press works (the more enraging the more clicks, the more money, so the make it XXL) certainly helps here.
But while the vast majority of lefts not only follow conspiracy theories a lot less, they are also a lot more likely to let them go when confronted with science that proves that it is wrong.

Now THERE is a thread starter: conspiracy theories we've heard of and we kill these theories with facts one by one.

I'm hearing from my Trump family that testing is fictional. That people are testing positive or negative without being tested. B/c someone they know said so. Or some elusive friend of a friend local doctor who says the COVID stats are fictional or at least highly inaccurate. Fake positives.

All reasons to go without a mask. 

[Travis]

But back to topic: Nobody said that individuals - or whole groups - are not soometimes into conspiracy theories. The way the press works (the more enraging the more clicks, the more money, so the make it XXL) certainly helps here.
But while the vast majority of lefts not only follow conspiracy theories a lot less, they are also a lot more likely to let them go when confronted with science that proves that it is wrong.

Now THERE is a thread starter: conspiracy theories we've heard of and we kill these theories with facts one by one.

I'm hearing from my Trump family that testing is fictional. That people are testing positive or negative without being tested. B/c someone they know said so. Or some elusive friend of a friend local doctor who says the COVID stats are fictional or at least highly inaccurate. Fake positives.

All reasons to go without a mask.

I'm not sure what is more frightening. That President Trump knows that he could change the course of the pandemic with just a few words, or that there are enough people out there hanging on his every word like it's fucking gospel to be the cause of the pandemic in the first place.  Imagine the brain hemorrhages that would occur if tomorrow Trump told everyone to stay home and put a mask on and then challenged everyone who insisted on not wearing one. I think their brains would literally short circuit.

[ctuser1]

But back to topic: Nobody said that individuals - or whole groups - are not soometimes into conspiracy theories. The way the press works (the more enraging the more clicks, the more money, so the make it XXL) certainly helps here.
But while the vast majority of lefts not only follow conspiracy theories a lot less, they are also a lot more likely to let them go when confronted with science that proves that it is wrong.

Now THERE is a thread starter: conspiracy theories we've heard of and we kill these theories with facts one by one.

I'm hearing from my Trump family that testing is fictional. That people are testing positive or negative without being tested. B/c someone they know said so. Or some elusive friend of a friend local doctor who says the COVID stats are fictional or at least highly inaccurate. Fake positives.

All reasons to go without a mask.

"Left" disappeared in western countries 30 years ago, for good reasons. Socialists pose as "the left" in much of Europe, and center-right poses as "the left" in the US.

Conspiracy theories can be just as rampant among "leftists" as the "right wingnuts". Anybody remembers COVID conspiracies coming out of China a few months ago?

These crazy ideas are just a product of a human brain that can't explain things easily, but needs to do so in order to be comfortable. There is no left or right in it. If we forget this, then we will only replace one set of crazies with another. And as difficult it may be to believe living in the Trump-era - historically, left-wing crazies have generally been more dangerous than right wing ones if you go just by the body count.

[nereo]

I know Trump has a long history of 'doubling down' when challenged, but this seems a risky gambit even for him.

As of right now, team Trump has been touting Covid-related death rates as 'proof' of success, despite all indications that deaths lag case detections by several weeks.  It seems there are two possibilities here.  Either these soaring case counts will cause a spike in deaths as is the prediction of virtually every infectious disease expert, and August and (likely) September will be absolutely brutal.  Or somehow this "goes away" as Trump keeps claiming (most recently on Wallace's interview yesterday) and he can tout this up as a monumental success.

Trump has painted himself into a corner here.  He's pushing for schools to re-open at the same time when death rates will are predicted to be on an upward trajectory.  He can spread doubt about how 'serious' a positive case is (for now) but he can't waive away the seriousness of deaths and hospitalizations. By August we may come close to or possibly exceed daily mortality records across a broad swath of the US.  If we don't tamp down cases within the next few weeks than September will likewise be brutal - and that's when voters solidify their preference, historically. Even if we could magically suppress cases tomorrow, the entire month of August won't be pretty in over a dozen states, including key battleground states FL and NC.

[GuitarStv]

I know Trump has a long history of 'doubling down' when challenged, but this seems a risky gambit even for him.

As of right now, team Trump has been touting Covid-related death rates as 'proof' of success, despite all indications that deaths lag case detections by several weeks.  It seems there are two possibilities here.  Either these soaring case counts will cause a spike in deaths as is the prediction of virtually every infectious disease expert, and August and (likely) September will be absolutely brutal.  Or somehow this "goes away" as Trump keeps claiming (most recently on Wallace's interview yesterday) and he can tout this up as a monumental success.

Trump has painted himself into a corner here.  He's pushing for schools to re-open at the same time when death rates will are predicted to be on an upward trajectory.  He can spread doubt about how 'serious' a positive case is (for now) but he can't waive away the seriousness of deaths and hospitalizations. By August we may come close to or possibly exceed daily mortality records across a broad swath of the US.  If we don't tamp down cases within the next few weeks than September will likewise be brutal - and that's when voters solidify their preference, historically. Even if we could magically suppress cases tomorrow, the entire month of August won't be pretty in over a dozen states, including key battleground states FL and NC.

Well, Trump can use the powers of the white house to hide the true death count from the rest of the world.  This can happen at least for a little while - possibly long enough to get elected again?  He has already shown himself very comfortable lying about the pandemic, and he has already taken control of the data away from the CDC to the non-public white house servers.

[Kris]

I know Trump has a long history of 'doubling down' when challenged, but this seems a risky gambit even for him.

As of right now, team Trump has been touting Covid-related death rates as 'proof' of success, despite all indications that deaths lag case detections by several weeks.  It seems there are two possibilities here.  Either these soaring case counts will cause a spike in deaths as is the prediction of virtually every infectious disease expert, and August and (likely) September will be absolutely brutal.  Or somehow this "goes away" as Trump keeps claiming (most recently on Wallace's interview yesterday) and he can tout this up as a monumental success.

Trump has painted himself into a corner here.  He's pushing for schools to re-open at the same time when death rates will are predicted to be on an upward trajectory.  He can spread doubt about how 'serious' a positive case is (for now) but he can't waive away the seriousness of deaths and hospitalizations. By August we may come close to or possibly exceed daily mortality records across a broad swath of the US.  If we don't tamp down cases within the next few weeks than September will likewise be brutal - and that's when voters solidify their preference, historically. Even if we could magically suppress cases tomorrow, the entire month of August won't be pretty in over a dozen states, including key battleground states FL and NC.

Well, Trump can use the powers of the white house to hide the true death count from the rest of the world.  This can happen at least for a little while - possibly long enough to get elected again?  He has already shown himself very comfortable lying about the pandemic, and he has already taken control of the data away from the CDC to the non-public white house servers.

Yes, and I’m guessing taking data away from the CDC right now in the lead-up to the election was done precisely for this reason.

[GuitarStv]

Trump is above the law in the United States (at least until Republicans lose control of the senate) so I'd strongly expect this sort of blatant and brazen corruption to continue at least until the election ends.

[SunnyDays]

Data is pointless anyway.  People tend to believe whatever their personal experience tells them to, and until everyone knows someone who has gotten severely ill or died, beliefs won't change.  It has to hit home.  Whether that will happen before the election is anyone's guess.

[GuitarStv]

until everyone knows someone who has gotten severely ill or died, beliefs won't change

So . . . looks like what . . . October for the US then?

[Just Joe]

October gets pretty close to the months when it initially appeared. Oh boy - a whole year with this pandemic.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/14/opinions/trump-campaign-emails-elections-bass/index.html
Here is a little levity for you. Don't hurt your neck shaking your head too hard.

I thought "As Seen on TV" mail order advertising was an artifact from the 1970s that would die out in time but here we are in the second decade of the 21st century.

Clearly there is a portion of the American population that reacts well to cheesy advertising - and brands who think it is the optimum method to move their product. The Trump brand can be lumped right in there with all the "As seen on TV" brands IMHO.

I could have a good laugh about this guy except his lack of leadership and inability to tell the truth is leading to a massive number of deaths across the country.

[nereo]

until everyone knows someone who has gotten severely ill or died, beliefs won't change

So . . . looks like what . . . October for the US then?

Fauci seems to think it will be mid-late August.  We're barreling towards 100k new cases per day, with a 3 - 4 week lag between first detection and the subsequent spike in mortality rates. In other words, we've got several weeks minimum of climbing mortality rates already "baked in".  And there's 108 days until the general election, so...

Four months ago I thought 240k deaths was an absurdly high number (i.e. pessimistic).  Now it seems like we'll be lucky to have fewer than this before November 3rd.

[LennStar]

Now THERE is a thread starter: conspiracy theories we've heard of and we kill these theories with facts one by one.

For funs sake, unintentionally I just watched an anime yesterday that turned out to be that (more or less). Must be some hidden power dooing that!

These crazy ideas are just a product of a human brain that can't explain things easily, but needs to do so in order to be comfortable. There is no left or right in it. If we forget this, then we will only replace one set of crazies with another. And as difficult it may be to believe living in the Trump-era - historically, left-wing crazies have generally been more dangerous than right wing ones if you go just by the body count.

I guess you don't count all the wars in that. Or everything that happened outside of Europe and NA. I certainly can't remember the left being too happy about the US wars for example. Or the dictators that the US installed or supported. My favorite of those is Mobuto Sese Sese btw., the guy to whom the term Kleptocrat was coined.
Ob course his 5 billion stash pales in comparison to e.g. today's money laundering in the US. (And just imagine how many lives could be saved with the 300 billion dollar laundered yearly in the US.)

Anyway...

Conspiracy theories can be just as rampant among "leftists" as the "right wingnuts"

is wrong. As in scientifically proven. Many times. There is even a distinct connection between the readiness to believe conspiracy theories and voting for Trump, just to take the most current exhibit.

[partgypsy]

I do think it's possible the overall lethality of the disease did go down from a combination of a wider range of people being infected  (including younger age groups) and simply practice/experience from hospital staff how to best treat (supportive meds/procedures, when to intubate and when not etc). So there was a learning curve that has helped reduce mortality. That said, all bets are off if cases keep rising, medical staff are exhausted (I know our local hospital is aggressively looking for at least 1 more respiratory tech, including saying they are ok recruiting retired folks), and the system gets overwhelmed. We don't have a handle on it. I  think by the time there are official orders for stay at home most likely going to be too late to prevent a 2nd outbreak or rather an acceleration of original, poorly controlled outbreak

[Travis]

Trump keeps going on about this difficult mental test he took a while back and aced it, therefore he's a genius. According to my therapist and lawyer sisters, the test he took was the same kind they give to see if you're competent to stand trial. Acing it means you're normal.

[Glenstache]

Trump keeps going on about this difficult mental test he took a while back and aced it, therefore he's a genius. According to my therapist and lawyer sisters, the test he took was the same kind they give to see if you're competent to stand trial. Acing it means you're normal.

Trump always was the type of person who go the participation ribbon and thought he meant he won. Just like being born to wealth is just as good as earning it.

[nereo]

I do think it's possible the overall lethality of the disease did go down from a combination of a wider range of people being infected  (including younger age groups) and simply practice/experience from hospital staff how to best treat (supportive meds/procedures, when to intubate and when not etc). So there was a learning curve that has helped reduce mortality. That said, all bets are off if cases keep rising, medical staff are exhausted (I know our local hospital is aggressively looking for at least 1 more respiratory tech, including saying they are ok recruiting retired folks), and the system gets overwhelmed. We don't have a handle on it. I  think by the time there are official orders for stay at home most likely going to be too late to prevent a 2nd outbreak or rather an acceleration of original, poorly controlled outbreak

Looking at it another way, the deaths (400-500/day) we were seeing in late June were reflective of the sub-20k cases reported in late May and early June. Now cases are >3x this level and still rising. It doesn’t bode well for August or September.

[nereo]

Trump keeps going on about this difficult mental test he took a while back and aced it, therefore he's a genius. According to my therapist and lawyer sisters, the test he took was the same kind they give to see if you're competent to stand trial. Acing it means you're normal.

Correct. A score of 100% means that no cognitive deficiency was detected. It is the baseline for anyone with normal cognitive function.

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

I heard Trump is going to start his daily briefings again. That's awesome, from a purely entertainment standpoint.

[MasterStache]

I heard Trump is going to start his daily briefings again. That's awesome, from a purely entertainment standpoint.

I am curious who made this decision. I mean it seem like everyone in his administration cringes when Trump talks in front of the camera. And "damage control" seems to be a daily discussion. My guess would be maybe they see an opportunity for free airtime for him to campaign.

[nereo]

I heard Trump is going to start his daily briefings again. That's awesome, from a purely entertainment standpoint.

Perhaps it is the eternal-optimist in me, but my hope is that these daily briefings will result in some unified guidelines for citizens to follow, instead of the patchwork of conflicting local regulations and suggestions we've been working under for the last several weeks.  I don't see the spread of a disease and the suffering of others to be entertainment, and I think we need to wise up to get this virus under control.  Perhaps team Trump has finally convinced the president that he will have no shot at re-election if Covid remains out of control this fall.  I'll take political self-interest in this case if it gets us to where we need to be as soon as possible.

Given how frequently Trump loses interest in projects and how distanced he can be from reality I'm skeptical this will hold for more than a few weeks.  We shall see.