Friday, July 31, 2020

SLOW LEARNERS

We're STILL arguing about
hydroxychloroquine?

On Wednesday morning, Republicans are in the second day of a full-on blitz attempting to sell the idea that hydroxychloroquine is effective as a treatment against COVID-19. That effort comes in the form of not just statements from Donald Trump, but supporting tweets and emails from Republican candidates and a full-court press from Fox News. . . . [read on]

Gohmert Says He Will Take Hydroxychloroquine For COVID-19, Flouting FDA Warning

It's a crime

The president’s campaign has aired 63,000 ads about crime and zero ads about coronavirus this month.

Every recent administration has had a pandemic plan. Obama shared his with Trump. Now, when we need it, we have no plan



“Six months into the pandemic, the United States continues to suffer the worst outbreak of COVID-19 in the developed world. Considerable blame belongs to a federal response that offloaded responsibility for the crucial task of testing to the states. The irony is that, after assembling the team that came up with an aggressive and ambitious national testing plan, Kushner then appears to have decided, for reasons that remain murky, to scrap its proposal.” The plan, according to one participant, “just went poof into thin air.”

Dr. Fauci tried to warn Trump about a global outbreak before he took office

For safety, wear a mask, face shield . . . and ear plugs

Misinformation On COVID Is Proving To Be Highly Contagious

Maybe this will get some people's attention

Herman Cain dies from coronavirus

Herman Cain's last public appearance was appearing at Trump's Tulsa rally without a mask. He posted an anti-mask tweet the day before that has since been deleted. . . .

We are at war with Russia. And our president is on the wrong side


Disastrous economic news for Trump (and for all of us)

GDP Plunged In Second Quarter

Oregon's governor announces a deal to pull Federal forces out of Portland -- then Trump blows it all up because he isn't finished punishing Dems enough

Brown said in a statement on Wednesday that she reached an agreement for federal agents to begin a phased withdrawal on Thursday from Portland after discussions with Trump administration officials, including Vice President Mike Pence. . . . “She must clear out, and in some cases arrest, the Anarchists & Agitators in Portland,” Trump tweeted of Brown. “If she can’t do it, the Federal Government will do it for her. We will not be leaving until there is safety!”

Trump's not-so-subtle appeal to suburban racial fears


In investigation news . . .  

The full DC appeal court will rehear the case to drop the charges against Michael Flynn


In other news . . .

Trump suggests DELAYING the election

With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???

No, Trump can’t delay the election

“Those are the incoherent, conspiracy theory ramblings of a lost candidate who is out of touch with reality.”
           — Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh, on ABC News on April 23, after Joe Biden warned that President Trump would try to delay the election.

Here's why he'd like to delay it

The best antidote to hot takes is hard data, and the latest Daily Kos/Civiqs poll is here with your cure. This survey of 1,513 adults was conducted online from July 26-29 and reveals that 53% of Americans not only oppose Donald Trump, but they see almost nothing that could change their minds. Of the 42% of Americans who support Trump, just 34% say there’s nothing that could shake their support, and 8% say they are still open to changing their minds. . . .

Battleground Polling Roundup

“The once rock-solid grip that the president had on his party seems to be slipping. Talking with pollsters and strategists from both sides this week,  it’s clear that Trump is suffering not just with Democrats and independents but also with GOP voters. They tell us of polling that shows Trump underwater in districts he carried easily in 2016. . . . One GOP strategist told me that even in heavily Republican districts, Trump’s job approval rating among Republicans has dropped 10-20 points.”

"Are you better off?"

Donald Trump’s critics dismissed his idea of delaying the 2020 election as nothing more than a distraction ― and then pointed out what the president was likely trying to hide with the stunt. . .

How the Repubs respond -- a range of reactions

Vulnerable Senate Republicans up for reelection were quick to dodge questions about Donald Trump's Thursday morning suggestion that perhaps the country should "[d]elay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???" . . .

Top Republicans offered a rare rebuke of President Trump, condemning his suggestion that the Nov. 3 general election be delayed . . .

House Republicans strongly pushing back on the idea that Election Day could be delayed . . .

Senate Republicans, including Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a close ally of the White House, are dismissing President Trump’s suggestion Thursday to delay the November elections  . . .

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) told CNN that President Trump’s tweet about delaying the election was a joke “so all you guys in the press, your heads will explode and you’ll write about it.” . . .

President Trump’s “delay the election” tweet is now pinned to the top of his account, which as Dave Weigel notes, “is typically what you do if you’re just joking to get a rise out of reporters and don’t mean it.”

Then there's Fox World

So how did Varney react on his show? Mostly by repeatedly noting the adverse effect he believed the tweet was having on the stock market while at the same time defending the idea and even pushing Republican officials and lawmakers to endorse it.

Fox News politics editor Chris Stirewalt lashed out at President Donald Trump floating the idea of delaying the election on Thursday, saying it is a “flagrant expression of his current weakness” and reveals the president’s “weak position” for re-election.

Co-founder of the ultra-conservative Federalist Society calls for Trump's impeachment over his call for delaying the election


Nancy does it again!

Pelosi responds to Trump floating election delay by quoting from Constitution

Delay The Election? Say Hi To President Nancy Pelosi

In the end, I think Trump's tweet isn't about really delaying the election -- it's about declaring an emergency that the election will be illegitimate. He didn't LOSE, the election was STOLEN from him



“Trump fears this election not simply because the general public seems to want him to lose but because a loss of the powers and asserted immunities associated with the presidency may ultimately cost him his freedom in the long run.” “A post-Trump era might indeed be rife with serious legal threats not just to Trump but to Barr and many close to them. Therefore, they will do whatever it takes to win.”

‘Rigged election’ goes from Trump complaint to campaign strategy

Trump defends his "delay" tweet. Notice that his argument has shifted from "mail-in voting is an opportunity for massive fraud" to "it will take too log to count the votes." But if the first were true, why would the second matter?

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-mail-in-voting-election-delay_n_5f234e05c5b6a34284b8869a
"Must know Election results on the night of the Election, not days, months, or even years later!"

[NB: So I take this as a promise from Trump not to sue or file for a recount of voting results. Thanks, Don!]

Obama gives two speeches, one on John Lewis, one on Trump

President Obama delivers both a touching eulogy and the most important political speech of the year

"You know, this country is a constant work in progress. We’re born with instructions: to form a more perfect union. Explicit in those words is the idea that we’re imperfect. That what gives each new generation purpose is to take up the unfinished work of the last and carry it further than any might have thought possible. John Lewis, first of the Freedom Riders; head of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee; youngest speaker at the March on Washington; leader of the march from Selma to Montgomery; member of Congress, representing the people of this state and this district for 33 years; mentor to young people—including me at the time—until his final day on this Earth, he not only embraced that responsibility, but he made it his life’s work. . . " [read on]

Barack Obama’s Eulogy for John Lewis Was Perfect . . .It will likely go down as one of Obama’s greatest speeches, and it is worth watching in full. [watch]

Obama calls out Trump for stoking "nativist, racist, sexist" fears. . . "What he has unleashed and what he continues to try to tap into is the fears and anger and resentment of people"

Three presidents showed up to give their respects to John Lewis, including George Bush. Trump not only didn't attend, he actually tried a little bit of counterprogramming


Before Biden announces his VP pick, here's one last review of the options


Republicans don't care about the massive deficit they're creating now -- but you can be sure they will hound the next Democratic administration to fix it


[NB: Without raising taxes!]

Go Joe!

"You won't have to worry about my tweets when I'm president."

Bonus item: Nobody Likes Trump


***If you enjoy Progressive Blog Digest and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sharing its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com) with others via email or social media. Thanks for helping to spread the word!

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Thursday, July 30, 2020

ALMOST PERFECT!

Let's make a list, shall we?

Trump Says ‘Not Sure I Could Have Done Any More’ As COVID Rages Across The Country

Death toll reaches 150,000. No end in sight


He just says s--t

Trump claims military will distribute COVID-19 vaccine, only someone forgot to tell the military


Trump undermines the coronavirus relief bill negotiations

‘We Really Don’t Care’

The things he says

“I read a lot. You know, I read a lot. They like to say I don’t read. I read a lot. I comprehend extraordinarily well, probably better than anybody that you’ve interviewed in a long time. I read a lot.”

Saying the secret part out loud

Racist In Chief: Trump Says Suburbanites Will ‘No Longer Be Bothered’ By Low-Income Housing

[NB: Was there ever any doubt?]


Ocasio-Cortez tries to stop housing rule as Trump plays to race

Trump has advice for those who decry his obvious conflict of interest in promoting a new FBI building across the street from his hotel

President Trump on Wednesday dismissed Republican criticism of his push for the inclusion of funding for a new FBI building in the next coronavirus relief package, saying GOP senators should “go back to school and learn.” . . .

[NB: Many favor moving the FBI to a different location, which would free up that prime real estate for another hotel -- and Trump DEFINITELY doesn't want that.]

No. 2 GOP senator: Not a lot of support for FBI building funds in COVID bill

Appalling. Simply appalling (thanks to DR for the link)

Jailed Portland Protesters Must Agree to Stop Going to Protests to Be Freed

Trump pulls Federal cops from Portland


“The reason Trump’s tactic fails is that, by deploying troops to fight the anarchists, he broadens the issue into a fight about Trump himself. This inevitably draws more, largely nonviolent protesters, into the streets. ‘The numbers of protesters had dwindled substantially in recent weeks,’ one reporter in Portland observed last week, ‘but reports of heavily armed, unidentified, camouflaged federal officers abducting people off the street into unmarked vehicles and meting out violence on the people of Portland have thoroughly re-energized the populace.'” “The same thing happened further north. ‘Nightly protests since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis had dwindled in recent weeks in Seattle but were reinvigorated in the wake of federal action in the Portland protests and after Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) tweeted that President Trump had sent federal law enforcement agents to the city,’ reported the Post.”

“And so the scenes that Trump craves, pitting soldiers against black-clad radicals, have transformed quickly into troops against veterans, moms, and other antagonists who cut a more sympathetic profile. The protesters report that they have joined the protests because of Trump’s response to the protests. Tessa and Leshan Terry formed the ‘Wall of Vets’ in Portland, and came to their first demonstration after seeing video of agents beating a fellow Navy veteran.”

Now this

Trump administration to send federal agents to Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee

The Pentagon goes after leakers

New Pentagon training refers to protesters, journalists as 'adversaries'

AG Bill Barr used his testimony to repeat and reinforce Trump's lies -- adding to his reputation as the worst AG ever


In investigation news . . .  

Trump calls the Russian bounty story "fake news" (it's not), has consistently refused to bring it up with Putin

In This Astounding Interview, Trump Shrugs Off Russian Bounties As 'Fake News'

Trump has called Putin 8 times since he was briefed on Russian bounty program, and never even asked

Instead . . . a big smooch for Vlad

U.S. to withdraw 12,000 troops from Germany just days after Trump placed latest call to Putin

Lawmakers blast Trump plans to withdraw troops from Germany

Justice Brett Kavanaugh tried to get his fellow justices NOT to rule on the Trump tax records case


In other news . . .   

Louie Gohmert, public menace

GOP Rep. Louie Gohmert, Who Refused to Wear a Mask, Now Has Coronavirus . . . “[I]f I get it,” he told CNN in June, “you’ll never see me without a mask.” Gohmert, who was in attendance at Tuesday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing with Attorney General William Barr . . . was spotted without a mask on Tuesday speaking with Barr within an arm’s length prior to the hearing.

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) told the American Independent that he probably contracted coronavirus because he wore a mask more frequently in recent days . . . “I can’t help but think that if I hadn’t been wearing a mask so much in the last 10 days or so, I really wonder if I would have gotten it.”

Just after reports that Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) had tested positive for coronavirus, Politico got an email from one of his aides: “Thank you for letting our office know Louie tested positive for the Coronavirus. When you write your story, can you include the fact that Louie requires full staff to be in the office, including three interns, so that ‘we could be an example to America on how to open up safely.’ When probing the office, you might want to ask how often were people berated for wearing masks.”

Gohmert’s positive coronavirus test raises fresh safety questions

Hoyer: Maskless Republicans a public health threat

Trump supporters, including Republican officials, are making that impossible by waging a cultural war against common-sense pandemic solutions, such as wearing masks to curb the virus’ spread. As most countries now enjoy post-coronavirus recoveries, Trump’s America careens deeper into the crisis. If only somebody had warned us about how dangerous his fanatic followers are. . . . [read on]

Pelosi to require masks on House floor

The GOP really, really wants lawsuit immunity for businesses


Trump Calls GOP Relief Bill ‘Semi-Irrelevant’

They've earned it

Scores of House Republicans are suddenly sweating over losing their seats

NY Daily News: What four more years of Trump would mean


The Trump campaign is pulling ads from Michigan


Social media pulls videos with dangerously false virus advice and insane conspiracy theorizing. But Fox World thinks they're just fine


Trump really believes that Fox World should be his personal campaign bullhorn. They OWE him

Trump again targets Fox: 'They totally forgot who got them where there are'

The Cheerleader struggles to defend Trump retweeting health disinformation


Love it

NAVARRO: The China virus. The CCP virus.
BERMAN: You know what? We let you say that once, Peter. Please don’t say that again on this show.
NAVARRO: The China virus.
BERMAN: Alright. Peter Navarro, we appreciate you being with us.

Dark money is infiltrating national elections


Bonus item: Seth Meyers on that wacky coronavirus video


***If you enjoy Progressive Blog Digest and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sharing its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com) with others via email or social media. Thanks for helping to spread the word!

I don’t get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don’t run ads, etc.). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a “mission,” it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

PLAYING DOCTOR

Twitter pulls misleading Trump tweets for providing FALSE medical information


Trump’s New Favorite COVID Doctor Believes in Alien DNA, Demon Sperm and Hydroxychloroquine

Trump keeps praising this absolute kook -- because she's pro-hydroxychloroquine and he's determined to defend his irrational faith in it

Trump said a female doctor in the video, appearing to reference Stella Immanuel, made “specular” statements about hydroxychloroquine. He also described the doctors in the video as “very respected” and questioned why social media companies removed the videos. Immanuel has previously claimed on YouTube and in articles on her website that gynecological problems, such as endometriosis, cysts and infertility, are caused by individuals having sex with demons and witches in their dreams. She claims alien DNA is currently used in medical treatments and that scientists are developing a vaccine to prevent people from being religious. Asked later about outlandish statements made by Immanuel, Trump said he believed she was “impressive” but that he knew “nothing about her.” Trump left the briefing without taking further questions after CNN’s Kaitlan Collins tried to press him further on the issue.

President Donald Trump’s press conference quickly unraveled on Tuesday as he struggled to defend a video he’d retweeted that is full of false claims about the coronavirus and complained about his low approval rating. Reporters asked Trump repeated questions about his continued support for hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment a day after he retweeted several conspiracy theories about the drug. Multiple clinical trials have found hydroxychloroquine is not an effective coronavirus treatment, despite the president’s suggestions to the contrary. “Many doctors think it is extremely successful,” Trump claimed when asked about the retweets, adding, “I happen to believe in it. I would take it. As you know, I took it for a 14-day period, and I’m here. ... It’s safe. It doesn’t cause problems.” Trump was also forced to answer for a video he retweeted on Monday that showed a group of self-proclaimed medical experts claiming that social distancing and masks were not necessary to curb the spread of COVID-19 . . . The event was hosted and funded by the right-wing nonprofit Tea Party Patriots, which has been organizing projects to promote that narrative. A reporter pointed out to Trump . . . that one of the main doctors featured in the video is a full-blown conspiracy theorist: “She’s also made videos saying that doctors make medicine using DNA from aliens and that they’re trying to create a vaccine to make you immune from becoming religious.”

“She was on air, along with many other doctors,” Trump said. “They were big fans of hydroxychloroquine, and I thought she was very impressive . . . She said that she’s had tremendous success with hundreds of different patients.” . . . After fumbling through his answer about the video, Trump quickly walked off the podium, ending the briefing after less than 30 minutes. In the past, his coronavirus-related briefings have lasted for over an hour. But the president appeared eager to wrap up the event on Tuesday, complaining several times that he was being unfairly maligned. At one point he suggested that health experts were not backing hydroxychloroquine to spite him. “It doesn’t seem to be too popular,” Trump said of the drug. “You know why? Because I recommend it. When I recommend something, they like to say don’t use it.”

This is the inevitable of these briefings: they can try to script him all they want, but whining and self-serving lies will always come out

Trump's 'new tone' on coronavirus implodes over his promotion of 'demon sperm' doctor

Trump Calls Quack Doctor ‘Very Impressive,’ Then Stalks Out Of Presser

Trump Moans ‘Nobody Likes Me,’ And Twitter Critics Quickly Remind Him Why

What were they thinking?

Meanwhile, Trump accuses DR. FAUCI of misleading the country


The Lincoln Project keeps hitting Trump with a sledgehammer -- another new ad

“None of this had to happen” . . . “We have suffered needlessly because Trump is a fool, a liar and a failure. Most countries stopped it, Trump refused. It’s Trump’s virus now.”

Trump says FU to the SC

Trump admin makes Supreme Court defiance official, says it won't accept first-time DACA applicants


Trump WANTS clashes between protesters and his troops -- he thinks chaos in the cities will scare people back into his "law and order" arms


Trump Is Getting What He Wants in Portland

The Department of Homeland Security was always a bad idea, an overreaction to the events of 9/11. Now Trump shows us what centralizing these functions under a president's direct control can do



“What we're seeing now on the streets of Portland is written into the DNA of the department.”

AG Bill Barr testifies before Congress. They waited a year to get him, and they squandered their chance. Tight questioning, which is what you need with a weasel like Barr, is not their forté

Billy Barr’s statement for his testimony today is here. It is as cynical and dishonest as you might imagine. . . .





Swalwell: Barr has taken Michael Cohen's job as Trump's fixer

SWALWELL: You don’t read the president’s tweets?
'BARR: No.
SWALWELL: Well, there’s a lot of evidence in the president’s tweets, Mr. Attorney General. I think you should start reading them.'

Barr: "I have no reason to think" that 2020 election will be rigged

Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) asked Barr during a Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday if it is ever appropriate for a president to solicit or accept foreign assistance in an election.
“It depends what kind of assistance,” Barr responded.

Attorney General William Barr, whom a Justice Department official told the Post ordered the police crackdown, told lawmakers during a separate hearing Tuesday that he learned “sometime in the afternoon that the president might come out of the White House,” but like Monahan claimed it had “nothing to do” with the plan to clear the park. . .

'I'm Starting To Lose My Temper': Rep. Jayapal Eviscerates Bill Barr

Bad questioning

Democrats Finally Had Their Chance to Grill Bill Barr. They Blew It.

Democratic attorneys criticize House Judiciary Democrats' questioning of Barr

Long-awaited showdown doesn't yield many new answers

Why the Democrats Can’t Nail Bill Barr

In investigation news . . .  

No, of course not

Trump never raised Russia's Taliban bounties with Putin

The Cesspool

“President Trump’s re-election effort is alleged to have paid more than $170 million to companies affiliated with former campaign manager Brad Parscale without disclosing the ultimate recipients of the money,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Trump Making Illegal Secret Payments, Including To His Own Family

How Trump Funnels Campaign Funds to His Businesses
In other news . . .   

Now, after everything, Trump will receive the RNC nomination in North Carolina after all


Trump is spending nearly all his campaign ad money trying to hold on to states he won in 2016


Trump claims he is leading in a series of states where he is actually trailing


The Republicans release their COVID relief bill. But they're still divided

Individuals
  • Democrats maintain the $600 unemployment bonus. Republicans slash it to $200.
  • Stimulus checks: About the same in both bills.
  • Democrats allocate $430 billion for schools. Republicans are offering only $100 billion.
  • Democrats want $1 trillion in aid to cities and states. Republicans want nothing. 
Business
  • Republicans want to immunize businesses from COVID-related lawsuits.
  • Republicans want more money for emergency business loans.
  • Republicans want a new round of funding for the PPP program.
  • Republicans want a 100 percent deduction for business meals through the end of 2020.
Senate Republicans release their COVID-19 relief bill. Is it enough?

“The GOP Senate’s new $1 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill restores hundreds of millions of dollars in Pentagon spending that the Trump administration redirected to help pay for President Trump’s border wall,” the Washington Post reports.

Senate Republicans criticize their own stimulus bill . . . “It’s a mess. . .This is not going to be the bill . . .”

Republican lawmakers faced with slipping poll numbers and economic indicators acknowledge they are under pressure to reach a quick deal with Democrats on a new coronavirus package. Armed with more leverage, Democrats will likely not agree to any deal unless it is closer to the $3.4 trillion bill the House passed in May. Republican officials don’t see any advantages to drawing the battle out. . . .

Theocracy watch

Trump Campaign Adviser Jenna Ellis: Separation of Church and State Is a Liberal Lie

Some Repubs would rather see Biden win, and then try to win things back in 2024 (thanks to DR for the link)


I've never liked her. Never

The co-chair of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ failed presidential campaign profanely blasted presumed Democratic nominee Joe Biden on Monday, striking a divisive note on behalf of unsatisfied progressive voters. Nina Turner, assessing the choice of Biden against President Donald Trump in the November presidential election, told The Atlantic: “It’s like saying to somebody, ‘You have a bowl of shit in front of you, and all you’ve got to do is eat half of it instead of the whole thing.’ It’s still shit.” . . .

Bernie Sanders delegates mount convention rebellion over 'Medicare for All'

Nope, Dems are not in disarray over party platform and Medicare for All

Joe Biden unveils an economic plan with a focus on racial inequalities



Six things that could still shake up the presidential race


Is Kamala Harris's stock dropping as a potential VP?



Joe Biden said he will announce his running mate “in the first week in August.”

Bonus item: Why Trump made up the invitation to throw out the first pitch at a Yankees game

Trump’s abrupt announcement was reportedly prompted by his irritation that Fauci, who has clashed with the President’s rosy framing of the COVID-19 crisis in the U.S., had been invited to throw out the opening pitch. . . .

Fauci baseball card shatters Topps 24-hour record with 51,512 sold

Trump questions how Fauci has a high approval rating 'but nobody likes me' . . . "It can only be my personality. That’s all."

***If you enjoy Progressive Blog Digest and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sharing its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com) with others via email or social media. Thanks for helping to spread the word!

I don’t get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don’t run ads, etc.). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a “mission,” it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***