Sound The TRUMPets! A Thread for Presidential Pondering 2016-2020(?)

[SimonNZ]

KUSHNER'S SHADOW TASK FORCE APPEARS TO VIOLATE MULTIPLE LAWS

"Jared Kushner's shadow coronavirus task force appears to be violating both the Presidential Records Act (PRA) and Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) by using private email accounts with no assurance their communications are being preserved and by meeting in secret, according to a letter sent today by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). The failure of the White House to comply with any of the PRA and FACA requirements leaves the public in the dark about the work the shadow task force has done and the influence of private industries on the administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Kushner's task force, composed of a team of allies from within the government and representatives from private industries, has operated adjacent to the official government task force spearheaded by Vice President Pence. With confusion over the shadow task force's role and who its members are, and reports that the members of the shadow task force communicate using private email accounts, CREW has reason to believe the White House is not creating and maintaining accurate and complete records of the shadow task force's activities as required by the PRA.

"If there was ever a time we need records and transparency, this is it. As the seriousness of this pandemic continues to grow, the public needs to understand who in the White House is making policy decisions, who from private industry is influencing those decisions, and how decisions to address this pandemic are being made," said CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder. "After this crisis has passed, we will need to be able to look back at how this administration responded to the situation and have the full picture of what was going on behind closed doors in order to understand what we could do better in the future."[...]

[JBS]

The shadow task force is so shadowy no one is actually sure it exists, it seems. But if it's an informal network of corporate people and government, at least some of its communications have to be done via non governmental email accounts--the corporate people.

But looking up the shadow task force, I found this little gem

There's no shortage of concerns. It's not clear why Kushner, for example, would be involved in the federal response at all. But this reporting also coincides with a related report from Mother Jones' David Corn, who noted this week that Kushner and his brother helped launch a company called Oscar, which is "now marketing a website that aims to direct consumers to coronavirus testing locations."

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/kushner-reportedly-helping-lead-shadow-coronavirus-taskforce-n1163856

[SimonNZ]

Erasing History: The National Archives Is Destroying Records About Victims of Trump's ICE Policies

hadn't realized this has been going on for some time now

[geralmar]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-says-he-told-mike-pence-to-ignore-governors-in-hard-hit-areas-if-they-are-not-appreciative?via=twitter_page

Since I live near Detroit I take this personally.


Update:  Vendors ordered not to send medical supplies to Michigan after Trump attack:

https://wwjnewsradio.radio.com/articles/after-trump-attacks-whitmer-she-says-fed-supplies-delayed

[JBS]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-says-he-told-mike-pence-to-ignore-governors-in-hard-hit-areas-if-they-are-not-appreciative?via=twitter_page

Since I live near Detroit I take this personally.


Update:  Vendors ordered not to send medical supplies to Michigan after Trump attack:

https://wwjnewsradio.radio.com/articles/after-trump-attacks-whitmer-she-says-fed-supplies-delayed

Someone needs to remind Trump that Michigan has 16 electoral votes.

In the general election, Republican nominee Donald Trump unexpectedly won Michigan by a narrow margin of 0.23%, with 47.50% of the total votes over the 47.27% of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. This is the narrowest margin of victory in Michigan's presidential election history

[Que]

A damning article in the Guardian (free):

The missing six weeks: how Trump failed the biggest test of his life

The president was aware of the danger from the coronavirus – but a lack of leadership has created an emergency of epic proportions

[71 dB]

A damning article in the Guardian (free):

The missing six weeks: how Trump failed the biggest test of his life

The president was aware of the danger from the coronavirus – but a lack of leadership has created an emergency of epic proportions

Ana Kasparian of TYT call Trump's presidency in the middle of Corona virus pandemia the biggest misfortune ever. Just imagine if it was someone like Obama, Clinton or Sanders in the White House, but no. The pandemia had to happen when a reality tv baffoon is in power... ...it's as if the God is done with the mankind... 

Elections have consequencies... ...hopefully this is the moment when Americans start wising up. It's not too late to have Bernie Sanders elected.

[ritter]

Like most zealots (e.g., currently the Catalan independentists, here in Spain), some members here on GMG just relate the current, worldwide crisis only to their obsessive cause... Unbelievable!

[Marc]

Like most zealots (e.g., currently the Catalan independentists, here in Spain), some members here on GMG just relate the current, worldwide crisis only to their obsessive cause... Unbelievable!

Personally, I don't think Trump took this crisis seriously enough.

As many many others did.

But what if someone will show him this picture from Stockholm on Thursday the 26th?



Sweden's Prime Minister Löfven is a Social Democrat. He's the leader of a typical bureaucrat country. Which, as many people believe, is utterly awful, because of all the freedom-limiting rules and regulations. Löfven is relying on the responsibility of the Swedish citizens and on their 'common sense'.

Sweden had, iirc, their first case of Corona at the end of January.
Since then, 105 people have died, on a population of 10,5 million people.
Nevertheless: schools, kindergartens, shops and restaurants remain open across the country, and parks and recreational areas were packed with groups enjoying the spring sunshine last week.

There you have it.

I'm already lucky cuz I don't suffer from obsessive causes, but I'm also 'lucky' that I'm utterly confused about what's happening worldwide.

Who is right, who is wrong?
Should the Guardian consider publishing a likewise critical article about Löfven?

[Marc]

Should many worried people relax a little, because it seems that Trump could be inspired by a social democrat country?

Sweden's chief epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell, has told Danish public broadcaster DR that his country's approach is based on the belief that the virus has already spread too far within Sweden. Closing schools, he argues, could increase the risk of children spreading the virus to elderly neighbors. That "keep things open" approach is one that U.S. President Donald Trump is believed to be considering too, in light of the toll of a mass lockdown on the American economy.

Or is Sweden blundering here and giving a completely wrong signal, with possible tragedy as a result?

https://www.ozy.com/around-the-world/has-sweden-botched-its-coronavirus-response/293282/

[ritter]

I'm not defending Mr. Trump, whom I profoundly dislike and whose handling of the crisis is erratic (to put it mildly). What I object to is the use of the crisis and Mr. Trump's policies as leverage to promote Mr. Sanders' alleged virtues. We have no evidence Mr. Sanders would handle this matter better, worse or equallly than e.g. Mr. Biden (or anyone else).

And the mismanagement of the situation is not endemic to the US. Here in Spain (with a leftist government), very grave mistakes have been made, which have resulted in a dramatic situation (as even The Guardisn has pointed out). And yet, to delve in my previous example, this in no way legitimates the Catalan separatists claims (as if an independent Catalonia would be spared from the onslaught of the virus).

But, as we say in Spain, "cada uno arrima el ascua a su sardina" ("each one brings the ember closer to his or her sardine", i.e., everyone promotes his or her own agenda, regardless of the circumstances). These kind of attitudes are, IMHO, immoral in the current siruation..

[Marc]

I'm not defending Mr. Trump, whom I profoundly dislike and whose handling of the crisis is erratic (to put it mildly). What I object to is the use of the crisis and Mr. Trump's policies as leverage to promote Mr. Sanders' alleged virtues. We have no evidence Mr. Sanders would handle this matter better, worse or equallly than e.g. Mr. Biden (or anyone else).

And the mismanagement of the situation is not endemic to the US. Here in Spain (with a leftist government), very grave mistakes have been made, which have resulted in a dramatic situation (as even The Guardisn has pointed out). And yet, to delve in my previous example, this in no way legitimates the Catalan separatists claims (as if an independent Catalonia would be spared from the onslaught of the virus).

But, as we say in Spain, "cada uno arrima el ascua a su sardina" ("each one brings the ember closer to his or her sardine", i.e., everyone promotes his or her own agenda, regardless of the circumstances). These kind of attitudes are, IMHO, immoral in the current siruation..

Don't 'worry' , I did not think you were a Trump supporter. Like you, I wanted to make clear that the reactions worldwide, no matter on what political compass countries are sailing, are proof to me, that many governments, leaders and politicians were not prepared for this. And also, that many medical specialists and virologists have different opinions about how to handle it. So, in that case, it's really hard for me to blame specific politicians more than others. There seems to be a widespread lack of knowledge, insight and foresight.

[ritter]

Nicely put, Marc,

Thanks and regards,

[ritter]

https://www.youtube.com/v/ZkffnHnaPAU

[Florestan]

I'm not defending Mr. Trump, whom I profoundly dislike and whose handling of the crisis is erratic (to put it mildly). What I object to is the use of the crisis and Mr. Trump's policies as leverage to promote Mr. Sanders' alleged virtues. We have no evidence Mr. Sanders would handle this matter better, worse or equallly than e.g. Mr. Biden (or anyone else).

And the mismanagement of the situation is not endemic to the US. Here in Spain (with a leftist government), very grave mistakes have been made, which have resulted in a dramatic situation (as even The Guardisn has pointed out). And yet, to delve in my previous example, this in no way legitimates the Catalan separatists claims (as if an independent Catalonia would be spared from the onslaught of the virus).

But, as we say in Spain, "cada uno arrima el ascua a su sardina" ("each one brings the ember closer to his or her sardine", i.e., everyone promotes his or her own agenda, regardless of the circumstances). These kind of attitudes are, IMHO, immoral in the current siruation..

I wanted to make clear that the reactions worldwide, no matter on what political compass countries are sailing, are proof to me, that many governments, leaders and politicians were not prepared for this. And also, that many medical specialists and virologists have different opinions about how to handle it. So, in that case, it's really hard for me to blame specific politicians more than others. There seems to be a widespread lack of knowledge, insight and foresight.

Very good posts, gentlemen! Stay safe!

[ritter]

Good day to you, Andrei. Take good care of yourself...

[Karl Henning]

Like most zealots (e.g., currently the Catalan independentists, here in Spain), some members here on GMG just relate the current, worldwide crisis only to their obsessive cause... Unbelievable!

And unhealthy.

[JBS]

Ana Kasparian of TYT call Trump's presidency in the middle of Corona virus pandemia the biggest misfortune ever. Just imagine if it was someone like Obama, Clinton or Sanders in the White House, but no. The pandemia had to happen when a reality tv baffoon is in power... ...it's as if the God is done with the mankind... 

Elections have consequencies... ...hopefully this is the moment when Americans start wising up. It's not too late to have Bernie Sanders elected.

In fact, COVID19 here in the States is a good demonstration of the many ways in which government can screw up health care. And apparently some of those screwups and lack of preparation go back to the Obama administration.  So it is not all Trump's fault.  But we are buffered by 50 state governors and multitude of local officials.

[SimonNZ]

In fact, COVID19 here in the States is a good demonstration of the many ways in which government can screw up health care. And apparently some of those screwups and lack of preparation go back to the Obama administration. So it is not all Trump's fault.  But we are buffered by 50 state governors and multitude of local officials.

How so?

meanwhile...

Trump says keeping US Covid-19 deaths to 100,000 would be a 'very good job'

[JBS]

How so?

meanwhile...

Trump says keeping US Covid-19 deaths to 100,000 would be a 'very good job'

It is said that the PPE stockpile was depleted in 2009 with H1N1 outbreak, and never filled back up.  I have seen a counterclaim that in fact our low stockpile was the result of charitably sending China most of it when COVID19 first started there.  Where the truth is,  will probably come out in the end.

But what is more definitely known is that Obama's administration at one point wargamed a viral pandemic scenario, found the result catastrophic, and then did little or nothing about it beyond leaving Trump's team a warning that they might need to something about it.  Team Trump did nothing, of course, but that does not excuse Obama's administration.

BTW, the 100,000 derives from an estimate by Fauci that the US would have millions of cases of COVID19, and a death toll of at least 100,000 but possibly as much as 200,000.