All posts in March 2020

Rep. Thomas Massie objected to the same provision in coronavirus response, tweeting that “Universal vote by mail would be the end of our republic as we know it.” Because apparently our republic as we know it is dependent on it being easier for rich white people to vote. In 2018, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith “joked” about voting at…

The “down close to zero” claim came on February 26, when there were 15 reported cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. Some of Trump’s other greatest hits include saying, on February 2, “we pretty much shut it down coming in from China,” and, on February 19, “I think the numbers are going to get progressively better as…

Among the legislators condemning the order was Oregon U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, who has been a fierce critic of the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant policies. “Instead of pausing deportation operations, ICE is trying to get 45,000 N95 masks from the government,” he tweeted. “That’s 45,000 masks our front line health care workers desperately need to save American lives,…

That’s not the only part that feels like a time-traveler’s pointed rebuke to how the Trump administration has handled COVID-19. “What is our level of confidence on the case detection rate?” the playbook asks. “Is diagnostic capacity keeping up?” The playbook also emphasizes the importance of a coordinated response and offers insights into how the different…

After 9/11, Ornstein worked with several members of Congress to create a contingency plan for disaster. It was never adopted because of a combination of stubbornness, denial, and staunchly misguided institutionalism. Now is the time for congressional leaders to set that all aside. Congress needs to, as Ornstein says, “pass a plan that allows for a…

Daily Kos Staff Thursday March 26, 2020 · 5:58 AM PDT 2020/03/26 · 05:58 The all-time record for new jobless claims in a single week was set in 1982, with 695,000 new claims. Last week, as coronavirus shuttered many U.S. businesses, 3.28 million people filed for unemployment insurance. That’s not just breaking a record, it’s…

It also would provide $300 billion in loans in to businesses with fewer than 500 employees, aimed at helping them survive the downturn and available through lenders certified by the Small Business Administration, with the maximum loan amount of $10 million. It also has the big bailouts to industry: “Up to $50 billion for passenger air carriers;…

Campaign Action The incident follows two other attacks against Asian Americans in New York on March 10. Last week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio condemned the coronavirus-related attacks during a media roundtable. “Right now, we’ve seen particularly troubling instances of discrimination directed at Asian communities, particularly in the Chinese community,” de Blasio said.…

Though it was hidden from the public, it’s possible to get a good sense of what was explained to Burr and Loeffler by looking at what Burr told his fellow Republican bigwigs — after his own money was safely tucked away. Speaking in February, weeks after that initial briefing but before the explosion of cases in…

As The New York Times reports, Trump is now talking about a “whole government” approach, and starting to speak as if he recognizes the scale of the effort necessary to deal with this challenge. But Trump has had to be dragged forward step by step, reluctantly giving minimal support to efforts to integrate the military,…