CDN/US Covid-related political discussion

[OceanBonfire]

AP Exclusive: Docs show top WH officials buried CDC report

The decision to shelve detailed advice from the nation’s top disease control experts for reopening communities during the coronavirus pandemic came from the highest levels of the White House, according to internal government emails obtained by The Associated Press.

The files also show that after the AP reported Thursday that the guidance document had been buried, the Trump administration ordered key parts of it to be fast-tracked for approval.

The trove of emails show the nation’s top public health experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spending weeks working on guidance to help the country deal with a public health emergency, only to see their work quashed by political appointees with little explanation.

...


https://apnews.com/9c4d5284ba4769d3b98aa05232201f88

 

[Blackadder1916]

Dr. Anthony Fauci to go into "modified quarantine" after "low risk" exposure to White House staffer who tested positive
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/anthony-fauci-modified-quarantine-coronavirus-exposure/

BY PAULA REID  MAY 10, 2020 / 7:05 AM / CBS NEWS

Dr. Anthony Fauci tells CBS News he will go into "modified quarantine" following exposure to a White House staffer who tested positive for the coronavirus. Fauci says he is "low risk" based on the type of exposure he had to the staffer and is quarantining out of an abundance of caution.

Fauci, who is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, will stay at home, work remotely via teleconference and wear a mask continually for 14 days. Fauci said he may go into his NIH office during this time, but he will be the only person there.

Fauci also said if he is asked to go the White House or appear at a congressional hearing, he will, but wear a mask and socially distance. Fauci is currently scheduled to appear before a Senate committee hearing Tuesday.

Fauci tested negative for the coronavirus Friday.

Several White House staffers and Secret Service members have tested positive for the coronavirus over the last week. Among those who tested positive was a U.S. military aide assigned to the White House as a valet to President Trump. Both Mr. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have been tested for the coronavirus again following news of the valet's positive result.

A senior White House official told CBS News that Pence is taking no new precautions and will not be isolating in any way.

Officials said White House senior adviser Stephen Miller, whose wife, Katie Miller, tested positive Friday, will have his movements limited and will not have any exposure to senior members of the administration such as Mr. Trump or Pence. The officials also told CBS News the number of White House personnel who will be allowed near the president and vice president will be limited going forward.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield will also be teleworking for the next two weeks after a "low risk" exposure as well. Like Fauci, Redfield will appear at the White House if his presence is requested, but will follow CDC guidelines by having his temperature screened, wearing a face covering and socially distancing.

Food and Drug Administration Director Dr. Stephen Hahn will also self-quarantine for two weeks "out of an abundance of caution" following an exposure to a White House staffer who tested positive for COVID-19, according to a statement from Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander. Both Hahn and Redfield are scheduled to appear at the same hearing as Fauci on Tuesday, but Alexander has asked them to participate via video conference. Fauci is still expected to appear in-person.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Canadian physician-epidemiologist Bruce Aylward is summoned to testify in front of Canadian committee about the flawed information coming from the WHO and refuses.

Not only that, the WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hired an attorney in representing the WHO in declining the summons.

Yet, we still decide to give the WHO $840 million?

https://www.facebook.com/tamarajansenofficial/videos/671185626994134/?__so__=permalink&__rv__=related_videos

 

[MilEME09]

Canadian physician-epidemiologist Bruce Aylward is summoned to testify in front of Canadian committee about the flawed information coming from the WHO and refuses.

Not only that, the WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hired an attorney in representing the WHO in declining the summons.

Yet, we still decide to give the WHO $840 million?

https://www.facebook.com/tamarajansenofficial/videos/671185626994134/?__so__=permalink&__rv__=related_videos

I feel like we should freeze that money now until he testifies. WHO hiring a lawyer to avoid public scrutiny, what do they have to hide?

 

[ModlrMike]

To add insult to injury, they're effectively using our money to do it.

 

[FJAG]

But then there's this:

The letter also mentions that several countries have asked for WHO representatives to appear, but the agency doesn’t typically appear before such committees and its constitution, signed by member states, grants it immunity from such hearings.

https://windsorstar.com/news/politics/mps-issue-rare-summons-of-who-doctor-bruce-aylward-to-appear-before-house-committee/wcm/56d0df6c-3dd8-4f9e-81c7-0c09e425dbab/

If you read the founding documents of the WHO (and in particular the "CONVENTION ON THE PRIVILEGES
AND IMMUNITIES OF THE SPECIALIZED AGENCIES") you will find far-reaching immunities were established to protect their status as an independent international organization all of which were signed off on by the founding nations and all nations which subsequently signed on. This is nothing new and reaches back to the late 1940s. Remember that the WHO was formed at the same time as the UN and there are a lot of similarities and linkages here.

https://apps.who.int/gb/bd/pdf_files/BD_49th-en.pdf#page=31

Reform may be needed but that would require some major international cooperation to disassemble and reassemble the structure and anyone who is familiar with international conventions will tell you that's a decades-long process. The more important question is if you structure an international body that's supposed to be free of the influence and control of any given individual nation then how do you set up a monitoring and accountability process? The UN? Good luck with that.

:cheers:

 

[quadrapiper]

But then there's this:

https://windsorstar.com/news/politics/mps-issue-rare-summons-of-who-doctor-bruce-aylward-to-appear-before-house-committee/wcm/56d0df6c-3dd8-4f9e-81c7-0c09e425dbab/

If you read the founding documents of the WHO (and in particular the "CONVENTION ON THE PRIVILEGES
AND IMMUNITIES OF THE SPECIALIZED AGENCIES") you will find far-reaching immunities were established to protect their status as an independent international organization all of which were signed off on by the founding nations and all nations which subsequently signed on. This is nothing new and reaches back to the late 1940s. Remember that the WHO was formed at the same time as the UN and there are a lot of similarities and linkages here.

https://apps.who.int/gb/bd/pdf_files/BD_49th-en.pdf#page=31

Reform may be needed but that would require some major international cooperation to disassemble and reassemble the structure and anyone who is familiar with international conventions will tell you that's a decades-long process. The more important question is if you structure an international body that's supposed to be free of the influence and control of any given individual nation then how do you set up a monitoring and accountability process? The UN? Good luck with that.

:cheers:

Some sort of total-access read-only auditing/reporting body embedded in the organization's structure, formed of pers from whatever governments want to keep an eye on things, and sufficiently a part of the organization's information flow to be as close to invisible to daily operations as possible (versus causing "drop everything" reports and disrupting activity).

 

[Jarnhamar]

[quote author=FJAG]
But then there's this[/quote]

The letter also mentions that several countries have asked for WHO representatives to appear, but the agency doesn’t typically appear before such committees and its constitution, signed by member states, grants it immunity from such hearings.

If it's so black and white, which I'm sure it is (thanks for finding that), I wonder why their director general felt he needed to hire a lawyer handle them refusing?

[quote author=FJAG]
Reform may be needed but that would require some major international cooperation to disassemble and reassemble the structure and anyone who is familiar with international conventions will tell you that's a decades-long process.
[/quote]
I already figured it out.
Don't give the WHO another dollar until they agree to drop their immunity from such hearings and they can start with Alward.
They're more than welcome to refuse, and countries are more than welcome to not give them money to keep the lights on.

 

[FJAG]

...
I already figured it out.
Don't give the WHO another dollar until they agree to drop their immunity from such hearings and they can start with Alward.
They're more than welcome to refuse, and countries are more than welcome to not give them money to keep the lights on.

The WHO is financed through several sources, the first one is Assessed Contributions:

WHO’s Programme Budget is financed through a mix of assessed and voluntary contributions. Assessed contributions are the dues countries pay in order to be a member of the Organization. The amount each Member State must pay is calculated relative to the country's wealth and population.

Canada pays both assessed and voluntary contribution: US$27.9 million assessed and US$72.6 million voluntary in the current year.

https://open.who.int/2018-19/contributors/contributor?name=Canada

By contrast, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pays voluntarily US$530.9 million in the current year.

https://open.who.int/2018-19/contributors/contributor?name=Bill%20%26%20Melinda%20Gates%20Foundation

(Second only to the US)

Out of total WHO contributions of US$5.6 billion.

I presume we could cut our voluntary contributions (i.e. 3/4 of what we pay in full) and still stay as a member of the WHO.

Incidentally there is a good chart at the WHO website which lets you trace what programs the money goes to:

https://open.who.int/2018-19/contributors/contributor

This whole issue is pretty much a 'let's not throw out the baby with the bath water issue'.

Notwithstanding the fact that the WHO isn't responding well to the political public flagellation demands, I expect there is a whole lot of real serious stuff going on behind the scenes.

:cheers:

 

[Jarnhamar]

The WHO is financed through several sources, the first one is Assessed Contributions:

Doesn't seem like that have a whole bunch of friends right now. Cut out the voluntary and assessed contributions. Let China and Bill Gates pick up our tab  ;D

 

[Jarnhamar]

Parents, if your kids are stuck on a difficult homework question during Covid19 homeschooling you can tweet this drama teacher and he'll see what he can do.
https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau/status/1259570858865184768

 

[BeyondTheNow]

Parents, if your kids are stuck on a difficult homework question during Covid19 homeschooling you can tweet this drama teacher and he'll see what he can do.
https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau/status/1259570858865184768

In all fairness his personal teachable is irrelevant. He’d have the secondary and post-secondary credits necessary to offer assistance in most subjects at the levels the public would be taking his offer up on. (As well as who’s ever helping him with the volume of questions which might come in.)

I don’t like him, but it’s a decent idea. There are a lot of children (and some adults who are trying everything they can to keep their children’s home-school experience interesting) who would think it’s pretty neat to say the PM helped them with their homework. Simply an opportunity for some positive PR? You bet. But any politician should use opportunity to connect/interact with the public in a way they can relate to, especially during disruptive times like these.

 

[OceanBonfire]

Trump downplays calls for greater testing, suggesting they're motivated by politics

President Donald Trump has downplayed the need for widespread access to novel coronavirus testing in his push to reopen the U.S. economy, contrary to recommendations from health experts that much greater testing and contact tracing are essential for a safe return to normalcy.


https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-downplays-calls-greater-testing-suggesting-motivated-politics/story?id=70619405

Masks for some White House staffers, but none for Trump, as mixed messages continue

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/masks-white-house-staffers-trump-mixed-messages-continue/story?id=70619441

 

[Jarnhamar]

Editing to stay on track

If parents have home schooling questions during Covid19 why wouldn't they ask their children's actual teachers? The ones sitting at home getting paid to be teachers?

 

[BeyondTheNow]

Not so sure my friend.  By all accounts he was a teacher in name but apparently didn't really do much teaching. Of course any questions asked to him are going to get sent to people who actually know what they're talking about. He's more of a middle man, just kind of weird to slide in his "as a teacher, he wants to help" creds.

The point I was making is what he would’ve had to achieve in order to become a “teacher” by title, not experience. If he completed teacher’s college, regardless of what he selected as his teachable subject(s), he would’ve had to complete necessary credits covering a range of subjects in both secondary and post, in order to earn that degree, including languages, low-level maths, etc.

 

[garb811]

If you feel the need to have yet another run at the PM and his qualifications, or perceived lack thereof, take it to the right thread.

- Milnet.ca staff

 

[Navy_Pete]

Parents, if your kids are stuck on a difficult homework question during Covid19 homeschooling you can tweet this drama teacher and he'll see what he can do.
https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau/status/1259570858865184768

Ugh, looking at the comments confirmed to me that Twitter is poison (also reinforced the maxim of don't read the comments).

I agree that, regardless of political affiliation, any kid would find it pretty neat to get homework help from the PM.  It's a clever bit of PR, but kids and parents are looking for all kinds of ways to stay focused and interested, and this is a pretty cool thing to try. But leave it to Twitter to turn everything into a steaming dumpster fire of hate.

I'm not a huge fan generally, but think he's generally stepped up to the plate for this (as has Doug Ford), and really tired of the constant mindlessly partisan sniping. You don't have to look far to find obvious examples of world leaders really sh*tting the bed on this; Boris Johnson could easily be mistaken for a Monty Python sketch at this point. From a practical standpoint it's also not helping your cause if you want to get someone else in place either; it just further entrenches the existing Liberal supporters and anyone on the fence will tune it out as noise. A reasoned stance that recognizes the positives and the negatives is a bit more work, but a constant obvious bias just gets filtered out. Great for winning likes and shares within an existing pool, but being well though of in an echo chamber is political masturbation, not a formula for electoral success.  Best of luck though!

 

[Jarnhamar]

[quote author=Navy_Pete]

I agree that, regardless of political affiliation, any kid would find it pretty neat to get homework help from the PM.  It's a clever bit of PR, but kids and parents are looking for all kinds of ways to stay focused and interested, and this is a pretty cool thing to try. But leave it to Twitter to turn everything into a steaming dumpster fire of hate.
[/quote]
More faith than I have for sure. Seems like a typical PR move.

 

[Remius]

More faith than I have for sure. Seems like a typical PR move.

In part I’m sure,

But some can never let their partisan bias get in the way,

I’m ok with his performance during this event.  Same with Doug Ford.  But haters gonna hate.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Turning a blind eye to ethics and cheating?

Sounds familiar.

Do not impose a stop pay': Federal workers ordered to ignore cheating in CERB and EI claims
Federal employees vetting the millions of applications for emergency and employment-insurance (EI) benefits during the pandemic have been told to ignore most potential cases of cheating, despite reports of widespread fraud.

If employees detect possible abuse they should still process the payment and should not refer the file to the department’s integrity branch, says a memo issued last month by Employment and Social Development Canada.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/do-not-impose-a-stop-pay-federal-workers-ordered-to-ignore-cheating-in-cerb-and-ei-claims/ar-BB13WtaI