God damn that festering piece of dung

The LA Times:

Despite mounting pleas from California and other states, the Trump administration isn’t allowing states to use Medicaid more freely to respond to the coronavirus crisis by expanding medical services.

In previous emergencies, including the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina and the H1N1 flu outbreak, both Republican and Democratic administrations loosened Medicaid rules to empower states to meet surging needs.

But not Attila the Trump.

But months into the current global disease outbreak, the White House and senior federal health officials haven’t taken the necessary steps to give states simple pathways to fully leverage the mammoth safety net program to prevent a wider epidemic.

That’s making it harder for states

Peter Wehner at the Atlantic says Trump’s presidency is over.

Taken together, this is a massive failure in leadership that stems from a massive defect in character. Trump is such a habitual liar that he is incapable of being honest, even when being honest would serve his interests. He is so impulsive, shortsighted, and undisciplined that he is unable to plan or even think beyond the moment. He is such a divisive and polarizing figure that he long ago lost the ability to unite the nation under any circumstances and for any cause. And he is so narcissistic and unreflective that he is completely incapable of learning from his mistakes. The president’s disordered personality makes him as ill-equipped to

Trump said words last night.

At 9.02pm, Trump began as presidents so often do: “My fellow Americans.” But in the next breath, he reverted to his familiar us-versus-them nationalism, referring to the coronavirus outbreak “that started in China” and is now spreading throughout the world. “This is the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront a foreign virus in modern history.” Not just a virus. A foreign virus.

The president touted his own sweeping travel restrictions on China and, far from expressing sympathy and solidarity with allies, argued the European Union “failed to take the same precautions and restrict travel from China and other hotspots. As a result, a large number of new clusters in the United States were

Not a joke. The Times is reporting it. BuzzFeed is reporting it.

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz jokingly wore a large gas mask on the House floor when the chamber voted on a coronavirus spending bill last Wednesday.

“Mockingly” or “sneeringly” rather than jokingly.

By Monday, his office announced the Florida lawmaker was in self-quarantine after coming into contact with a person who was diagnosed with the coronavirus at CPAC, a conservative political conference, almost two weeks ago.

…

Gaetz doesn’t have any symptoms of the coronavirus, his office said on Twitter, and he has been tested for the virus, but the results haven’t come back yet. He will remain in self-quarantine until later this week, after a two-week period

Brian Klass at the Washington Post:

The rapidly worsening coronavirus outbreak is President Trump’s Chernobyl. By putting dangerous myths above objective facts, Trump has turned the crucial early phases of government response into a disaster. Some public health experts in government have undoubtedly kept quiet, having seen repeatedly what happens to those who publicly contradict this president. And Trump himself, along with those who surround him, has tried to construct a reality that simply does not exist.

In a Chernobyl or an epidemic lies can be murderous.

Two weeks ago, today, Trump tweeted that “The coronavirus is very much under control in the United States … Stock market is starting to look very good to me!” At that point,

Having a reckless ignorant self-dealing fool as president can be dangerous to the health.

On Friday, as coronavirus infections rapidly multiplied aboard a cruise ship marooned off the coast of California, health department officials and Vice President Mike Pence came up with a plan to evacuate thousands of passengers, avoiding the fate of a similar cruise ship, the Diamond Princess, which became a petri dish of coronavirus infections. Quickly removing passengers was the safest outcome, health officials and Pence reasoned.

But Trump didn’t want to do that because it’s all about him.

“Do I want to bring all those people off? People would like me to do it,” Trump admitted at a press conference at the CDC later

Earlier today:

The Guardian’s David Smith also just asked Donald Trump at the White House what he thought of Elizabeth Warren dropping out of the race for the Democratic nomination yesterday, after a very disappointing performance in the Super Tuesday primaries across 14 states (she did not win any and came third in her home state of Massachusetts).

Boom! Like taking a doctor’s hammer on the knee, those misogynistic Trumpian reflexes shot up.

“I think lack of talent was her problem,” he said, of one of the most talented figures in the Democratic party and the US Senate.

While he is not one of the least talented figures in anything but THE least talented figure in anything.

“She was

Some are expressing caution.

Pence caused the HIV epidemic. Pence closed PP healthcare center in rural Indiana which took away a needle exchange program. Pence opened state run clinics that were patrolled by cops so no one would use them. He made the epidemic then his attempt to fix made it worse.

— Eileen (@smilinisle) February 27, 2020

Mike Pence is not an upgrade.

Putting a guy in charge of a deadly major pandemic who doesn’t believe in science and thinks smoking doesn’t cause cancer is…well…NOT A GREAT IDEA.

Radical idea: put someone qualified in charge. Take this seriously.

— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) February 27, 2020

ABC News might have mentioned in this tweet that, in fact, Pence does NOT

Trump says the coronavirus is a plot against him.

Low Ratings Fake News MSDNC (Comcast) & @CNN are doing everything possible to make the Caronavirus look as bad as possible, including panicking markets, if possible. Likewise their incompetent Do Nothing Democrat comrades are all talk, no action. USA in great shape! @CDCgov…..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 26, 2020

… Read the rest

Trump is giving advice on how to win the primaries.

“Mini Mike—how’d he do in the debate the other day?” President Donald Trump asked, at a rally in Las Vegas on Friday. He was talking about Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York, for whom he had some advice. But first he wanted to remind the crowd of Bloomberg’s height. “Here’s a box, Mike!” Trump said. (Bloomberg did not, in fact, stand on a box for the Democratic debate in Nevada.) The crowd cheered on his derision. “He was a beauty—what happened?” Trump clutched his throat and lolled his tongue in a somewhat graphic mime of choking. Then he arrived at what he saw as Bloomberg’s

More on Trump’s campaign to purge all the “bad people” by which he means people who don’t kiss his ass four times a day:

In reporting this story, I have been briefed on, or reviewed, memos and lists the president received since 2018 suggesting whom he should hire and fire. Most of these details have never been published.

A well-connected network of conservative activists with close ties to Trump and top administration officials is quietly helping develop these “Never Trump”/pro-Trump lists, and some sent memos to Trump to shape his views, per sources with direct knowledge.

Members of this network include Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and Republican Senate staffer Barbara Ledeen.

The big picture: 

The Post has more on the “Trump was enraged that the intelligence people did a briefing on Russian plans to get him re-elected” story.

A senior U.S. intelligence official told lawmakers last week that Russia wants to see President Trump reelected, viewing his administration as more favorable to the Kremlin’s interests, according to people who were briefed on the comments.

After learning of that analysis, which was provided to House lawmakers in a classified hearing, Trump erupted at his acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, in the Oval Office, perceiving him and his staff as disloyal for speaking to Congress about Russia’s perceived preference.

Trump did not erupt at Russia, and vow to leave nothing undone that would … Read the rest

Imagine if the DNI warned the House Intelligence Committee that terrorists might try to bomb the U.S. — and the President got mad, fired him, and then appointed someone who would deny this was a threat…and GOP went along with it. It’s pretty much what’s happening, sans bombs

— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) February 20, 2020

Let’s learn more:

President Donald Trump pushed aside his acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, in anger over what he perceived to be an inappropriate congressional briefing by the top intelligence official in charge of election security, a former senior U.S. official familiar with the matter confirmed to NBC News.

What he perceived to be an inappropriate congressional briefing aka a congressional … Read the rest

Can we impeach him again?

The Daily Beast reports:

President Trump offered to pardon Julian Assange if he agreed to cover up the involvement of Russia in hacking emails from the Democratic National Committee, which were later published by WikiLeaks, a London court was told Wednesday.

Assange’s lawyers are arguing that his case is political as opposed to criminal (so he shouldn’t be extradited).

Edward Fitzgerald, Assange’s lawyer, said Wednesday that a message had been passed on to Assange by former Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher.

Fitzgerald said a statement produced by Assange’s lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, showed “Mr Rohrabacher going to see Mr Assange and saying, on instructions from the president, he was offering a pardon or some other way

Be brazen and you can get away with it.

Greg Sargent at the Post:

For Trump, the very public nature of his efforts to corrupt law enforcement is a key feature of those efforts, not a byproduct of them that he pathologically can’t control.

If he does it publicly, it’s no longer corruption, it’s policy.

Barr is getting restive because Trump keeps tweeting about DoJ matters even though Barr gave him a very strong hint that he should quit it.

But Trump “has told those around him he is not going to stop tweeting about the Justice Department,” the Post report continues. According to officials, “Trump considers highlighting what he sees as misconduct at the FBI and Justice

Of course he did.

Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh said President Trump called him to say he should not backtrack on comments he made about Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg’s electability as a gay man.

“Hell, the president even called me about this!” Limbaugh said Monday on his show. “He said, ‘Rush, I just got to tell you something. Never apologize. Don’t ever apologize.'”

Which is all you really need to know about him. His core philosophy of life is to be indifferent to the needs of other people, to put himself first no matter what, to be a shit and to defend being a shit, to go on being a shit no matter what.… Read the rest

Trump is having an explosion of pardoning convicted rich corrupt white dudes today, when he’s not too busy pumping out illiterate tweets.

He’s commuted the sentence of Rod Blagojevich, the guy who tried to sell Obama’s Senate seat for $$$$.

I want to be clear how utterly despised Blagojevich was in his own party in Illinois (a Democratic powerhouse).

He was impeached 114-1. He was convicted in the IL Senate 59-0.

He tried to sell Obama's Senate seat for profit. He does not deserve commutation.

— Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) February 18, 2020

But Trump knows better.

Trump just commuted the sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, once
a contestant on Trump's “Celebrity Apprentice," who tried to exchange an

Whoopsie – this one he thumbed himself. Always a bad idea!

IG report on Andrew McCabe: Misled Investigators over roll in news media disclosure…Lacked Candor (Lied) on four separate occasions…Authotized Media Leaks to advance personal interests…IG RECOMMENDED MCCABE’S FIRING. @FoxNews @IngrahamAngle

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2020

… Read the rest

U not a king though.

…..biggest test of his presidency emboldened, ready to claim exoneration, and take his case of grievance, persecution and resentment to the campaign trail.” Peter Baker @nytimes The Greatest Witch Hunt In American History!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2020

Not a king, and not even able to grasp that “his case of grievance, persecution and resentment” isn’t a compliment.… Read the rest

More on Trump’s attempt at extortion against New York:

On Thursday, Trump made a veiled threat toward the state of New York, home of multiple lawsuits against him, ahead of his meeting with New York governor Andrew Cuomo (D) to discuss the Department of Homeland Security’s freeze on its “Trusted Travelers” programs for New Yorkers. The freeze was enacted last week in response to New York’s new law that allows undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses and prevents ICE and CBP from accessing New York’s DMV records.

Trump denied that the decision was made out of political retaliation on Thursday, tweeting that Cuomo “must understand that National Security far exceeds politics.”

Then he added: “New York must stop all