So Rand Paul has exposed a bunch of senators to the virus.

I took a picture inside the Senate GOP lunch when the door was open Friday and saw Rand Paul seated next to other senators. He is visible in this photo. pic.twitter.com/4qwZo5YdBs

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 22, 2020

Paul was at the Senate gym today and Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas told senators at lunch he saw Paul in the swimming pool today, per a source in the lunch

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 22, 2020

No social distancing for him, I guess. … Read the rest

Here is @RandPaul fighting against families first bill to fund the help of Americans during the #CoronavirusUS.

He has tested positive by what he once called a hoax #COVIDー19.

The #coronavirus has no political affiliation, there is no discrimination. pic.twitter.com/Lz0rNxyNgg

— Skyleigh Heinen-Uhrich (@Sky_Lee_1) March 22, 2020

… Read the rest

Oh those unique challenges:

In a new interview with New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, Dr. Anthony Fauci opened up about the unique challenges of serving on President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force. The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases called it “kind of funny but understandable that people said, ‘What the hell’s the matter with Fauci?’ because I had been walking a fine line.”

I.e. not yelping “Wait, sir, that’s wrong” when Trump babbles about game-changing treatments.

“I’ve been telling the president things he doesn’t want to hear. I have publicly had to say something different with what he states,” he continued, explaining that he’s engaged in “risky business” but insisting that Trump

Back to the orca in the swimming pool.

'We’re a city that loves socialising, but right now we have to put that on hold' #COVIDIOTS https://t.co/NlSbfhTxfP

— Brighton Argus (@brightonargus) March 22, 2020

More pictures from #Brighton seafront today. The Prime Minister has reminded people to keep apart or he will have to introduce new #SocialDistancing measures #UKLockdownNow pic.twitter.com/CuHrp1mEOG

— Brighton Argus (@brightonargus) March 22, 2020

… Read the rest

We need something non-pandemic-related, or at least I do. A tweet by a philosopher reminded me of a passage in Middlemarch, so seeing as how it’s long out of copyright I’ll just share it. From chapter 39:

Dorothea felt wretched. She thought her husband altogether in the wrong, on more grounds than Will had mentioned.

“It is better for us not to speak on the subject,” she said, with a tremulousness not common in her voice, “since you and Mr. Casaubon disagree. You intend to remain?” She was looking out on the lawn, with melancholy meditation.

“Yes; but I shall hardly ever see you now,” said Will, in a tone of almost boyish complaint.

“No,” said Dorothea, turning … Read the rest

Margaret Sullivan at the Post reminded us yesterday that Trump isn’t issuing health information, he’s campaigning and vanity-pumping.

More and more each day, President Trump is using his daily briefings as a substitute for the campaign rallies that have been forced into extinction by the spread of the novel coronavirus.

It must be awful for him. He loved those rallies – you could tell by watching him for a few seconds (all a sane person can stand). He’s different when he’s performing at those things: he’s no less stupid, of course, but he’s far more fluent and relaxed. He’s at home there, the crowd gives him a high. They assure him that he’s funny and truth-telling and tuff, kind … Read the rest

Trump is retweeting like a rabid squirrel – he’s helping! he’s doing things! he’s busy! – and this is one of the things he saw fit to retweet during this developing pandemic:

Maintaining Freedom in America During Coronavirus Madnesshttps://t.co/gxUMEp0CU9

— Judge Napolitano (@Judgenap) March 19, 2020

Emergency measures during a pandemic threaten our sacred FREEDOM!… Read the rest

If this is true it’s the craziest thing yet. The Daily Beast:

The White House is launching a communications plan across multiple federal agencies that focuses on accusing Beijing of orchestrating a “cover-up” and creating a global pandemic, according to two U.S. officials and a government cable obtained by The Daily Beast.

The cable, sent to State Department officials Friday, lays out in detail the circumstances on the ground in China, including data on coronavirus cases and deaths, the local business environment and transportation restrictions. But it also issues guidelines for how U.S. officials should answer questions on, or speak about, the coronavirus and the White House’s response in relation to China.

The “guidelines”=blame China.

“Chinese Communist Party officials

Next part of the press conference rally:

Asked why he hasn't compelled any company to make anything using the Defense Production Act, he says, "We have so many companies making so many products." He says that's preferable, companies volunteering, to invoking the act.

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) March 21, 2020

Why? Why is that preferable? If that’s preferable why have a Defense Production Act at all? The whole point is that in an emergency it’s not preferable. In an emergency some things have to be mandated.

Trump laments "the throwing away of the mask." He says they can be santized and reused. He explains, "We have very good liquids for doing this."

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) March 21, 2020

He’s … Read the rest

Daniel Dale also taking notes.

Trump: "I had calls during the week with all sorts of representatives and systems, like the hospital system."

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) March 21, 2020

He had a call with the hospital system. Cool.

Trump: "Walmart, as an example, has been really helpful to us." He adds, "And I guess, I assume, they're doing pretty well, because people are certainly buying, more than even a clip at Christmas, by substantial numbers. Pretty amazing. But they're doing incredible."

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) March 21, 2020

That’s the important thing. That’s what we want to know about.

Trump is listing actions he's announced this week and thanking companies for helping with the situation. "Hanes, everybody knows Hanes,

Trump is doing another press briefing – not because we’re in a crisis but because he can’t do rallies and he needs his attention fix.

"We're gonna be celebrating a great victory in the not too distant future. And I just want to thank everybody." — Trump pic.twitter.com/VGi5cnP9wm

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 21, 2020

The “wut” is: “an example of the…pair no rickard, which…”

Yeah, no idea.

"It's still a good idea, if you can, to make that donation" — Pence encourages people to give money to their local churches pic.twitter.com/7cYCCIzNn7

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 21, 2020

Because what we need right now is more religion.

Earlier today…

Trump tore down America’s pandemic preparedness, then spent weeks blustering

I guess Bonehead is really mad that Fauci dared to set him straight on how drugs are tested yesterday.

He wants us to understand that he knows better. Fauci is just a pen-pusher, Trump has INSIGHT.

….be put in use IMMEDIATELY. PEOPLE ARE DYING, MOVE FAST, and GOD BLESS EVERYONE! @US_FDA @SteveFDA @CDCgov @DHSgov

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 21, 2020

“But sir, it hasn’t been tested yet and – “

“PUT IT IN USE IMMEDIATELY.”… Read the rest

Well there’s another several thousand people infected.

Brendan O’Neill must be parodying himself.

The pubs are being closed. Oh noes, the backbone of Britain, remember the Blitz, where were you when the old King threw the first football/cricket ball/crumpet.

The barmaid tells us she isn’t sure if they will close at 8 or 10 this evening. ‘We are awaiting government instructions’. I can’t believe what I am hearing. I feel like I am in North Korea. British governments don’t close down pubs, right? Not pubs.

North Korea. Self-parody; has to be.

It is almost too depressing for words. I know that media people and luvvies for whom pubs are just places you go to for a hip gastro lunch consisting of overpriced dirty burgers will

World Central Kitchen posted on February 3:

WCK’s Chef Relief Team first opened a kitchen at the US southern border in Tijuana, Mexico in November 2018. Families, including many children, are fleeing violence, poverty, and instability in places like El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Once the refugees get to the border to apply for asylum, they can be forced to wait up to a year for their case to be heard. Due to financial challenges or safety concerns, many families are unable to return home, leaving them stuck at the border while they wait.

More than a year after setting up our first kitchen in Tijuana, we have opened a second location to cook for and serve refugees

Sixty EIGHTY years ago the US had Roosevelt. Now we have an evil egomaniacal clown.

In an extraordinary exchange on Friday, President Donald Trump viciously attacked an NBC News reporter who asked what his message would be to Americans who are frightened by the coronavirus pandemic that is spreading across the country.

…

Moments later, Kaitlan Collins, a White House correspondent for CNN, asked Trump if it was appropriate to embark on tirades against members of the news media during a public health crisis.

“You see yourself as a wartime President right now, leading the country through a pandemic that we are experiencing,” Collins noted. “Do you think going off on Peter, going off on a network is appropriate

Possibly worst tweet of all time:

The coronavirus pandemic has shed light on how transgender people's care can be treated as "non-essential." https://t.co/JNnHt9gMWT

— VICE (@VICE) March 19, 2020

… Read the rest

I found I needed to watch the whole sequence that led to that rage-fit at a reporter, so I found the complete video and watch-stop-watched until I got there.

It starts at 1:36:47. A reporter asks Fauci about the anti-malaria drug chloroquine and if there’s any evidence that it can be used as a prophylaxis against the coronavirus. Fauci says no, and explains that the evidence the reporter is talking about is anecdotal, and why that doesn’t count. So then Trump speaks up and – from his great pool of expertise on this subject, which is that he “feels good about it” – contradicts everything Fauci just said.

That’s the context in which Peter Alexander asked his question about giving … Read the rest

We’re in the flailing hands of a lunatic.

When @PeterAlexander asked Trump, “What do you say to Americans who are scared,” the president lit into Peter, called him a “terrible reporter,” called it a “nasty question” and bashed NBC and Comcast.

My goodness.

— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) March 20, 2020

Asked what he says to millions of Americans who are scared, Trump says: "I say that you're a terrible reporter."

— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) March 20, 2020

ISO cam on Peter Alexander as Trump melts down about a fair question pic.twitter.com/6iOO2LwWQC

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) March 20, 2020

Full-on tantrum over a perfectly reasonable question.

Updating to add a better clip, with split screen.

Trump has an epic meltdown and