Category: Domestic Affairs,

Trump berates Yamiche Alcindor of ‘PBS NewsHour’ at coronavirus briefing

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,, Science and Stuff,Leave a comment

“Mr. President, I have two questions,” she said. “The first is you’ve said repeatedly that you think that some of the equipment that governors are requesting they don’t actually need. You said New York might not need 30,000 …”

Trump didn’t let her finish.

“I didn’t say that,” he said.

“You said it on Sean Hannity’s Fox News,” Alcindor responded, accurately.

…Alcindor, who is a black woman, tried to finish her question, but Trump interrupted again: “Look, let me tell you something. Be nice. Don’t be threatening. Be nice.”

Trump’s reaction to Alcindor’s question recalled past incidents in which the president has cast black female reporters as “stupid,” “a loser” and “racist.”

On March 13, when Alcindor asked whether the suspension of the White House pandemic office slowed the country’s response to the coronavirus, Trump called it a “nasty question.”

…He got personal again Sunday with Alcindor, making what he seemed to consider disparaging comments about her career.

“Excuse me,” said the president at one point, “you didn’t hear me, that’s why you used to work for The Times and now you work for somebody else,” a reference to the New York Times and “PBS NewsHour.”

The president didn’t call on Alcindor to ask a second question, even though she had told him she had a follow-up.

But a few minutes later, in a display of professional support, CNN reporter Jeremy Diamond handed the microphone back to the “NewsHour” journalist so she could ask Trump which public health experts supported his claims that more people would die from the economic impact of social distancing than from coronavirus infections. Trump didn’t give any names.

Trump berates Yamiche Alcindor of ‘PBS NewsHour’ at coronavirus briefing – The Washington Post

An this is the racist, incompetent, narcissist who  a significant minority in this country supports no matter what.

We wouldn’t be in this mess if he wasn’t in the White House.

Your friends and family who support this monster will be culpable in THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS of deaths before this is over. Blood is already on their hands from so many things but if this doesn’t bring it into focus for them, nothing ever will.

VA Pastor, Musician Dies From Coronavirus He Had Questioned

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,Leave a comment

A 66-year-old Virginia resident who fell ill with the new coronavirus, or COVID-19, on a trip to New Orleans died Wednesday morning at a hospital in Concord, North Carolina. The death of Landon Spradlin, an accomplished musician and a pastor, has drawn viral attention online, in part because earlier this month Spradlin questioned whether media coverage of the disease was overblown.

…Some media outlets have noted that Spradlin shared a meme on his Facebook page that compared coronavirus deaths to swine flu deaths. The meme described the reaction to the coronavirus as “mass hysteria” and suggested the media was using the pandemic to hurt President Donald Trump.

Subscribe

VA Pastor, Musician Dies From Coronavirus He Had Questioned | Fredericksburg, VA Patch

hmmm

COVID-19 update for Thursday: Sununu issues ‘stay-at-home’ order through May 4, extends school closing, shuts beaches

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Granite State,Leave a comment

New Hampshire’s four-Democrat congressional delegation is criticizing federal health and emergency management agencies for delays in receiving medical supplies – some of which had already expired — to help the state deal with the coronavirus.

Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan and Reps. Annie Kuster and Chris Pappas said it is their understanding that one supervisory error at the Federal Emergency Management Agency resulted in a request sitting unprocessed for four days.

When New Hampshire received supplies in response to its March 17 request, some of it was expired, and the 16,000-plus gloves that were sent were latex, “which are unusable in the medical setting due to latex allergies,” according to the letter sent Wednesday to the heads of FEMA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The delegation said between this shipment and a prior one this month, the agencies have provided only 28% of respirator masks requested, one-third of nasal swabs needed, about 26% of surgical masks and no ventilators.

COVID-19 update for Thursday: Sununu issues ‘stay-at-home’ order through May 4, extends school closing, shuts beaches

hmmm

COVID-19 Was Catalyst in Fight to Free Detained Americans

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Granite State,, Middle East,Leave a comment

“Sen. Shaheen was involved from Day 1. New Hampshire should be proud of a senator like this – who will not put up with one of her constituents being unlawfully detained,” Atallah said.

…Shaheen, along with several other senators, also was deeply involved in the push for the release of North Carolina pastor Andrew Brunson, who was detained in Turkey for two years on trumped up charges and released in late 2018.

…With Fakhoury en route home, Shaheen late last week thanked Atallah as well as National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, NSC staffer Virginia Boney, Roger Carstens, the presidential envoy for hostage affairs who replaced O’Brien in that position, as well as Shea and several other top State Department officials, including Pompeo and Schenker.

“This is exactly how our government should work,” she told reporters. “… Congress and the administration came together on a bipartisan basis to work together to help Americans in need.”

COVID-19 Was Catalyst in Fight to Free Detained Americans | RealClearPolitics

Coronavirus leads to class warfare in Hamptons

On By peanutgallerynhIn Local Interest,, Media and Culture,, Money, Class, and Poverty,Leave a comment

Every aspect of life, most crucially medical care, is under strain from the sudden influx of rich Manhattanites panic-fleeing, bringing along their disdain and disregard for the little people — and in some cases, knowingly bringing coronavirus.

…“We’re at the end of Long Island, the tip, and waves of people are bringing this s–t,” says lifelong Montauker James Katsipis. “We should blow up the bridges. Don’t let them in.”

Coronavirus leads to class warfare in Hamptons

hmmmmm

TX Lt. Gov: Older people would rather die than let Covid-19 harm US economy

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,, Money, Class, and Poverty,, Science and Stuff,Leave a comment

The lieutenant governor of Texas went on Fox News to argue that he would rather die than see public health measures damage the US economy, and that he believed “lots of grandparents” across the country would agree with him.

…Patrick said he feared that public health restrictions to prevent coronavirus could end American life as he knows it, and that he is willing to risk death to protect the economy for his grandchildren.

“You know, Tucker, no one reached out to me and said, ‘As a senior citizen, are you willing to take a chance on your survival in exchange for keeping the America that all America loves for your children and grandchildren?’” Patrick said. “And if that’s the exchange, I’m all in.”

Older people would rather die than let Covid-19 harm US economy – Texas official | World news | The Guardian

So stupid it is positively evil.

TX Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Rejects Social Distancing, Seniors Need to Risk Death

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Money, Class, and Poverty,, Science and Stuff,Leave a comment

[Trump’s] comments are getting perilously close to urging Americans to ignore doctors and scientists, all of whom seem to be saying we need these drastic measures until the virus subsides. The irony, of course, is if Trump gets his way, we’ll clearly have way more deaths than if we were isolated from each other … and what does he think will happen to the economy then?

…The Lt. Gov. of Texas says to hell with social distancing, because old folks should risk death by COVID-19, so the economy can start recovering.

…That would seem to be an odd time to stop doing what every scientist says will prevent the virus from spreading and killing more people.

TX Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Rejects Social Distancing, Seniors Need to Risk Death

oy….

Elizabeth Warren Is Everywhere On Coronavirus Response

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Money, Class, and Poverty,Leave a comment

Even before she left the presidential race, Warren had worked to shape seemingly every element of the federal government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic and the steep recession that is almost certainly coming with it. Her proposal to bar companies who receive bailout funds from stock buybacks has been endorsed by even conservative Republicans, and she worked with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to make canceling student debt part of the Democratic Party’s proposed response to the crisis.

She’s peppered seemingly every branch of President Donald Trump’s administration with letters demanding details on how they’re responding, sending more than 25 letters to different branches and agencies, covering everyone from the Federal Communications Commission to the National Institutes of Health to Vice President Mike Pence’s office. 

“This is not my first rodeo,” Warren said.

… On Tuesday, she rolled out a list of eight conditions she argued should be placed on any company that receives government funds to help stay afloat during the pandemic, including a permanent ban on stock buybacks, a three-year ban on dividends or executive bonuses and setting aside board seats for employee-elected representatives.

…Warren’s role in the debate shows she’s continuing to function as the Democratic Party’s ideas factory even after her presidential campaign sputtered.

To Warren allies, it makes perfect sense that the second-term senator would grieve the end of her campaign by making policy. Warren’s original rise to political prominence was a result of the similarly complicated and all-encompassing 2008 financial crisis, and Warren released plans to deal with both a pandemic and a financial collapse during her 2020 run for the presidency.

…“If anyone is going to listen to anybody on how to get out of this, it’s going to be Elizabeth Warren,” said Mary Anne Marsh, a Boston-based Democratic strategist.

Why Elizabeth Warren Is Everywhere On Coronavirus Response | HuffPost

hmmmm

DOJ Wants to Suspend Constitutional Rights for Coronavirus Emergency

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Domestic Affairs,, Race,Leave a comment

The Trump Department of Justice has asked Congress to craft legislation allowing chief judges to indefinitely hold people without trial and suspend other constitutionally-protected rights during coronavirus and other emergencies, according to a report by Politico’s Betsy Woodruff Swan.

While the asks from the Department of Justice will likely not come to fruition with a Democratically-controlled House of Representatives, they demonstrate how much this White House has a frightening disregard for rights enumerated in the Constitution.

The DOJ has requested Congress allow any chief judge of a district court to pause court proceedings “whenever the district court is fully or partially closed by virtue of any natural disaster, civil disobedience, or other emergency situation,” according to draft language obtained by Politico. This would be applicable to “any statutes or rules of procedure otherwise affecting pre-arrest, post-arrest, pre-trial, trial, and post-trial procedures in criminal and juvenile proceedings and all civil processes and proceedings.”

…Enacting legislation like the DOJ wants would essentially suspend habeas corpus indefinitely until the emergency ended. Further, DOJ asked Congress to suspend the statute of limitations on criminal investigations and civil proceedings during the emergency until a year after it ended.

…They also asked Congress to pass a law saying that immigrants who test positive for COVID-19 cannot qualify as asylum seekers.

As coronavirus spreads through the country, activists are calling on politicians in office to release prisoners and immigrants held in detention centers, both of which can be a hotbed of virus activity with so many people in close quarters and limited or non-existent supplies of soap, sanitizer, and protective equipment.

DOJ Wants to Suspend Constitutional Rights for Coronavirus Emergency – Rolling Stone

Unamerican asshats

‘There’s no playbook for this’: Biden trapped in campaign limbo

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,Leave a comment

Because Sanders won’t quit, Biden can’t fully pivot to the general election. He can’t truly unite the party’s warring factions. Nor can he begin stockpiling the vast amounts of money he’ll need for November. His momentum has effectively been stopped cold.

A source familiar with the Democratic National Committee’s discussions says the party offered both the Biden and Sanders campaigns the opportunity to open joint-fundraising accounts. But since Sanders declined [as he did, in 2016 – a move which helped to tank the General Election Campaign and Dem Party unity… Not shocking he’s pulling the same self-important, non-Team oriented bullshit] the party is reluctant to enter into one with Biden because of the bad optics of seeming to help one candidate.

‘There’s no playbook for this’: Biden trapped in campaign limbo – POLITICO

hmmmm

Maryland man fatally shot by police ‘while asleep in his bedroom’ | US news | The Guardian

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,Leave a comment

A Maryland man who was shot and killed by a police officer was asleep in his bedroom when police opened fire from outside his house, an attorney for the 21-year-old man’s family said on Friday. The man’s girlfriend was also wounded.

…The warrant police obtained to search the Potomac home Lemp shared with his parents and 19-year-old brother does not mention any “imminent threat” to law enforcement or the public.

…“There is no warrant or other justification that would ever allow for that unless there is an imminent threat, which there was not,” Sandler said.

…“Any attempt by the police to shift responsibility on to Duncan or his family, who were sleeping when the police fired shots into their home, is not supported by the facts,” the statement says.

Maryland man fatally shot by police ‘while asleep in his bedroom’ | US news | The Guardian

hmmmm

Senate coronavirus vote delayed after Rand Paul pushes doomed amendment

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,Leave a comment

“Unfortunately, first we must dispose of a Republican amendment that would make a condition of the bill to require the president to terminate military operations in Afghanistan. Yes you heard me right!” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “In a time of national emergency this Republican amendment is ridiculous, a colossal waste of time. We probably could have voted on this bill a day or two ago if not for the need to schedule this amendment.”

Senate coronavirus vote delayed after Rand Paul pushes doomed amendment

Mmmm, karma… She can be a little bit of a bitch, eh Rand?