Joy Reid asks some very necessary questions.

Questions for @senatemajldr:
1) Why did the Republican bill contain a $500 billion slush fund?
2) Why should Treasury Secretary Mnuchin have control of such a fund w/o the American people being able to know who got the loans until after the election?
3) What are the loan terms?

— Nope. (@JoyAnnReid) March 23, 2020

5) Will cruise companies, who are mostly based offshore to vastly reduce their tax burdens and often utilize mostly low-paid, non-U.S. labor be able to access these bailout loans, and under what terms?

Please post any other questions you have below! #NoCorporateBailouts

— Nope. (@JoyAnnReid) March 23, 2020

… Read the rest

Oh did they now.

A review of public statements by Trump administration officials urging confidence in the markets as the coronavirus spread reveals a stark contrast with the private behaviour of some GOP lawmakers. 

While the president and his top economic adviser late February were urging Americans to show confidence in the stock market and invest as the coronavirus spread, at least two GOP senators had already privately dumped stocks — after receiving classified briefings on the damage likely to be caused by the disease. 

In other words Trump and Kudlow were telling people to buy stocks when they knew the market was going to tank. Meanwhile were they putting their own money at risk? Nah.

Deputy Labor Secretary … Read the rest

Zookeepers are the best people.… Read the rest

But wait – people are still thinking about other things. It’s not all pandemic from morning to night.

March 17, less than a week ago – a guy at Leeds City Council sends a hostile letter to someone about a Woman’s Place event at Leeds City Hall more than four months ago. What is Leeds City Council guy so hostile about four months later and during a pandemic? He’s hostile about “alleged statements about misgendering by speakers at the meeting and a Social Media post which was allegedly tweeted by the organisers about the use of gendered toilets and which toilets guests should use.” More than four months later, during a pandemic. Omigod some women talked about misgendering … Read the rest

Fauci spoke to ScienceInsider yesterday.

Anthony Fauci, who to many watching the now-regular White House press briefings on the pandemic has become the scientific voice of reason about how to respond to the new coronavirus, runs from place to place in normal times and works long hours. Now the director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has even less time to sleep and travels at warp speed, typically racing daily from his office north of Washington D.C. to his home in the capital, and then to the White House to gather with the Coronavirus Task Force in the Situation Room. He then usually flanks President Donald Trump addressing the media–and when he isn’t there, concerned tweets begin

Oh, Gwyneth, not now.

I…I couldn’t resist pic.twitter.com/WQEBjUjRe7

— Jennifer Gunter (@DrJenGunter) March 23, 2020

… Read the rest

It’s true about Trump’s letter to Kim.

Trump confirms he sent a letter to North Korea offering them help on coronavirus.

— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) March 22, 2020

Washington and California and New York have to wait until most of us are dead, but that nice Mister Kim is a whole other story.… Read the rest

Rand Paul’s colleagues are not happy that he went scampering around the Senate for days after being exposed to C19 and taking a test.

A number of Senate aides and senators are angry Paul did not go into isolation after he took the test or after he leaned about the positive cases at the event he was at. Instead, he continued on with his schedule, attending GOP lunches, going to gym, etc https://t.co/zFwDdmY87B

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 22, 2020

Jake Tapper has the details:

A source close to Senator Rand Paul explains the events of the last couple weeks:

A week and a half or so ago, Sen. Paul shut down his offices because of the coronavirus, telling his

Trump did another rally packed with lies about the pandemic this afternoon.

Trump says they are marshaling every resource in the fight against "the Chinese virus." He calls for people to follow guidelines on social distancing, travel and hand-washing.

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) March 22, 2020

Trump on protecting veterans: "We're working on certain hospitals where we may be doing some work, in Louisiana in particular, and some other states — veterans hospitals."

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) March 22, 2020

Superb: Trump repeats his usual lie about having gotten the Veterans Choice program passed after others failed for "many, many decades."

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) March 22, 2020

He couldn’t just say “veterans’ hospitals,” he had to repeat a chronic … Read the rest

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