The US Presidency 2020

[tomahawk6]

The President has ordered the construction of two more hospital ships.

says/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/apr/1/navy-may-build-two-hospital-ships-trump-says/

 

[mariomike]

The President has ordered the construction of two more hospital ships.

Might be a good idea,

Locomotive Engineer Tried to Derail Train to Wreck Navy Hospital Ship Mercy Over Coronavirus Suspicions, Feds Say
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/man-tried-to-derail-train-to-wreck-navy-hospital-ship-mercy-over-coronavirus-suspicions-feds-say/2339287/

 

[tomahawk6]

The ships are well suited for humanitarian relief as in hurricane relief or other similar mission. At 70,000 tons they are almost the size of a carrier and only requires a crew of around 300 plus the hospital staff and I think has its helos.

 

[FJAG]

The Mercy class of hospital ships are converted San Clemente-class supertankers used by the United States Navy. Originally built in the 1970s by the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, they were acquired by the Navy and converted into hospital ships, coming into service in 1986 and 1987.
...
In mid-2004 Vice Admiral Michael L. Cowan, the Surgeon General and chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, said that Comfort and Mercy should be retired. "They're wonderful ships, but they're dinosaurs. They were designed in the '70s, built in the '80s, and frankly, they're obsolete"
Few, if any, options are presently being explored to replace them with a platform better suited to the mission at this time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercy-class_hospital_ship

I don't see these as ever being a priority for the Navy which would be paying a fair bit of money for an asset that spends years at a time tied up. It looks like on average they put to sea once every two years or so mostly for exercises where they do provide NODUFF medical treatment as part of their training---and did it very well.

This might be a case of impulse shopping on the President's part which in the end might actually provide a better, more modern, more purpose-built ship or two regardless of what the Navy wants.

:cheers:

 

[OceanBonfire]

Do social distancing better, White House doctor tells Americans. Trump objects

Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House task force on the coronavirus, had a message for Americans on Thursday: do better at social distancing. President Donald Trump didn’t like the message.

“When we said that, now over 16 days ago, that was serious,” Birx said, noting that the people who were now becoming sick would have gotten the virus after the guidelines first went out.

But the president, standing near the White House lectern where Birx was speaking, interceded.

“Deborah, aren’t you referring to just a few states, because many of those states are dead flat,” Trump said, referring to states where the virus had not taken off dramatically and pushed up the national “curve” of deaths.

Birx responded that it was true that some states were flat but that an outbreak in a new city would spoil that.

Trump has faced criticism for playing down the outbreak in its initial stages. He said early on that the virus was under control and repeatedly compared it to the seasonal flu.


https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-trump-birx/do-social-distancing-better-white-house-doctor-tells-americans-trump-objects-idUSKBN21L08A

 

[Journeyman]

Jared Kushner. 

Nothing else need be said.

 

[dimsum]

Jared Kushner. 

Nothing else need be said.

When I read that this morning (or last night), I was wondering if it was a late April Fool's joke. 

Hell, I'm still wondering.

 

[BeyondTheNow]

When I read that this morning (or last night), I was wondering if it was a late April Fool's joke. 

Hell, I'm still wondering.

Trump administration changes definition of national stockpile after Kushner remarks

The Trump administration quietly changed an online description of the country's Strategic National Stockpile following a press briefing with White House adviser Jared Kushner.

Previously, according to the federal public health emergency website, the Strategic National Stockpile was described as "the nation’s largest supply of life-saving pharmaceuticals and medical supplies for use in a public health emergency severe enough to cause local supplies to run out."

The description continued: "When state, local, tribal, and territorial responders request federal assistance to support their response efforts, the stockpile ensures that the right medicines and supplies get to those who need them most during an emergency."

That definition disappeared from the site on Friday.

The new, one-paragraph description says the stockpile is meant as a “short-term stopgap.”

"The Strategic National Stockpile's role is to supplement state and local supplies during public health emergencies. Many states have products stockpiled, as well. The supplies, medicines, and devices for life-saving care contained in the stockpile can be used as a short-term stopgap buffer when the immediate supply of adequate amounts of these materials may not be immediately available," the website now says.

In a statement posted to the HHS Public Affairs Twitter account, the agency said it "first began working to update this text a week ago to more clearly explain the role of the Strategic National Stockpile. HHS has been using this same language in statements to the press for weeks now."

The language more closely matches what Kushner said on Thursday when he made his coronavirus task force briefing debut.

Kushner, a senior adviser and the president's son-in-law, was recently directed to work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on supply chain issues related to the coronavirus outbreak. He is said to have assumed the role roughly two weeks ago.

Kushner said states should be more resourceful in procuring supplies for themselves, and not be relying on the federal government for assistance.

"The notion of the federal stockpile was it's supposed to be our stockpile, it's not supposed to be the state's stockpile that they then use," Kushner said.

Kushner accused some state officials of requesting supplies without knowing what they need.

“Some governors you speak to, or senators, and they don't know what's in their state,” Kushner said when asked by a reporter what it takes for a state to receive ventilators from the national stockpile.

“Don’t ask us for things when you don’t know what you have in your own state. Just because you’re scared, you ask your medical professionals and they don’t know. You have to take inventory of what you have in your own state and then you have to be able to show that there’s a real need," Kushner said.

Kushner makes first appearance at coronavirus briefing
GOP senator calls for investigation into 'mismanagement' of strategic...
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the federal government to deplete much of its reserves as states and hospitals nationwide struggle with a surge of critical patients. FEMA officials recently told a House panel that the government has fewer than 10,000 ventilators in stock.

Governors have been pleading with the Trump administration for help, and have continually said they are not receiving nearly enough supplies from the stockpile to address the surge in hospitalizations.

Updated at 2:50 p.m.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/491037-trump-administration-changes-definition-of-national-stockpile-after

 

[MilEME09]

GOP senator calls for investigation into 'mismanagement' of strategic...

Funny this seemed to get edited out of the article, I am sure there will be many people wondering whats happened, and probably a few firings and replacements occuring

 

[BeyondTheNow]

Funny this seemed to get edited out of the article, I am sure there will be many people wondering whats happened, and probably a few firings and replacements occuring

Not sure if that’s directed at me or just a general comment. For reader’s clarification, I did a strict copy & paste from ‘reader view’ of the link. The portion you mentioned is a hyperlink within the article if people want more info.

 

[kkwd]

Trump fired Michael Atkinson tonight. Friday night is a tough time in old DC.

https://globalnews.ca/news/6778066/donald-trump-michael-atkinson-fired/

 

[kkwd]

Joe Biden finally caught up.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-campaign-says-ex-vp-backs-trump-move-limit-travel-china

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/03/politics/joe-biden-trump-china-coronavirus/index.html

 

[daftandbarmy]

Et tu brute?

US President Donald Trump has fired a senior official who first alerted Congress to a whistleblower complaint that led to his impeachment trial.

Mr Trump said he no longer had confidence in Michael Atkinson, the inspector general of the intelligence community.
Democrats said the president was settling scores during a national emergency caused by the coronavirus.

They also accused him of trying to undermine the intelligence community.

Last year, Mr Atkinson informed Congress of the complaint that President Trump had allegedly abused his office by pressuring Ukraine to open an investigation into Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son.
In letters to Congress, Mr Atkinson described the complaint as "urgent" and "credible".

The Democratic-majority House of Representatives voted to impeach the president, but a trial in the Republican-led Senate later acquitted him of all charges.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52164706

 

[OceanBonfire]

"We've got to get the country open," Trump says as coronavirus cases top 300,000 nationwide

President Trump emphasized the need to "get back to work" at a Coronavirus Task Force meeting as the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country topped 300,000. "The cure cannot be worse than the problem itself, we've got to get our country open," Mr. Trump insisted.

Mr. Trump said he spoke to the heads of professional sports leagues, and while he said "I can't give you a date" about when various leagues would start up again, he said he "absolutely" wanted fans back in the arenas. "Sports weren't built for this," he said.


https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/coronavirus-pandemic-covid-19-latest-news-2020-04-04/

 

[OceanBonfire]

Before the White House, Trump called NIH 'terrible,' questioned vaccines

With the coronavirus crisis deepening on his watch, President Donald Trump in recent weeks has promoted a still-unproven malaria drug as a possible "game changer," touted his administration's "unprecedented" moves to fast-track a vaccine, and praised the work of the National Institutes of Health.

But when Barack Obama was still in the White House and facing earlier global health crises, Trump expressed much different views, denouncing NIH as "terrible," claiming vaccines "can be very dangerous," and cautioning against medicines that have yet to be proven safe and effective.

At the time, Trump also suggested that when fighting an epidemic, the federal government's efforts shouldn't be run by a political person answering to the White House – that would be tantamount to "mismanagement" and "duplicity," he said.

There are, however, two things that haven't changed since then: Trump's faith in anecdotes to make consequential decisions, and his inclination to close the U.S. borders when a deadly pathogen starts spreading overseas.


https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/white-house-trump-called-nih-terrible-questioned-vaccines/story?id=70001201

 

[Retired AF Guy]

Now its just Joe and Donald:

Bernie Sanders ends his second bid for the presidency

 

[Remius]

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/04/americans-are-paying-the-price-for-trumps-failures/609532/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share&fbclid=IwAR3EC1hJk_5iv9WU5ptBsFnNSKnL21diF8BRcS8JivFK06dtoaZKbcQ6fC4

Good article in the Atlantic by David Frum. He pulls no punches.

 

[OceanBonfire]

Trump myths on new jobs, airport virus tests

Defending his administration’s response to the coronavirus, President Donald Trump falsely asserted that travelers at U.S. airports are being routinely tested for COVID-19, made groundless accusations against a government watchdog and wrongly claimed the Obama administration did nothing during a flu pandemic.

Meanwhile, with many businesses shuttered during the outbreak, Trump claimed his daughter Ivanka created over 15 million jobs for the U.S. That’s a complete illusion.

A look at some of his claims:


ECONOMY

TRUMP, with his daughter Ivanka in the Roosevelt Room of the White House: “She created over 15 million jobs.” — speaking Tuesday with bankers via video conference about virus aid for small businesses.

THE FACTS: That’s nowhere near reality. Before the coronavirus became widespread, less than half that many jobs were added to the entire U.S. workforce during Trump’s presidency, and his daughter was not responsible for them. Now, with nearly 10 million people seeking unemployment benefits in just the past two weeks, those jobs have all been lost. Most economists forecast the unemployment rate will jump to 10% or higher in early May.


TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS

TRUMP, explaining his hesitancy to suspend U.S. domestic flights to stem spread of the virus: “They’re generally very, very empty planes. ... There’s also testing done when people get onto those planes and also when people get off the planes.” — news briefing Monday.

THE FACTS: False. There’s no evidence to support his suggestion that travelers at U.S. airports are being regularly tested, let alone when they both get on and off the planes.


TESTING

TRUMP, on a report from the Health and Human Services Department’s watchdog that found hospitals faced severe shortages of coronavirus test supplies: “Did I hear the word inspector general? Really? It’s wrong. ... Could politics be entered into that?” — news briefing Monday.

TRUMP: “You didn’t tell me also that this inspector general came out of the Obama administration.” — news briefing Monday.

THE FACTS: His claims are groundless. There is no evidence that the report was “wrong” or politically motivated. And it’s a politically expedient distortion to brand federal employees whose service spans administrations as creatures of the previous one.


TRUMP: “Nobody has done more testing ... If (other countries) did the kind of testing proportionally that we are doing, they’d have many more cases than us.” — news briefing Monday.

THE FACTS: That’s flat wrong. While more tests mean more known cases, the U.S. lags proportionally in testing its citizens. South Korea, for example, actually has a higher rate of testing. It also has fewer known cases, both in absolute terms and as a percentage of its population.


GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

TRUMP, saying his administration is doing a “great job” handling the coronavirus: “Take a look at the swine flu. That’s H1N1 ... It was a disaster. 17,000 people died. The other administration, they didn’t even know — it was like they didn’t even know it was here.” — news briefing Monday.

THE FACTS: His suggestion that the Obama administration was oblivious and did nothing during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, initially called “swine flu,” is wrong.


https://apnews.com/9f7c772caa4b72f82f0ed54045af45c4

 

[Brad Sallows]

>Good article in the Atlantic by David Frum. He pulls no punches.

Except for all the things that are not Trump's fault.  (Yes, yes, I know; everything that happens during a president's administration - or a Canadian PM's government - is "his fault" in the fairy-tale version of politics.)  Frum is late to the game and trying to score some points that have already been awarded; innumerable articles have been published in the past few weeks explaining in detail how and when various shortcomings in the US response originated.  And there are plenty of web-archived instances of who-said-what-when in the evolving pandemic under-reaction/overreaction bad judgement sweepstakes, and the examples do not lie all on one side of the political divide.  But the bullshit "all blame to Trump" (complemented by "all credit to Obama") game goes on, and the credibility of the media suffers because the mere truth is never enough and every issue must be treated as a political battle, and it becomes harder for the remaining few media personalities who are reasonably objective not to be thrown in the bin with the rest of the "fake news".

When a well-known personality lies or presents easily (and already) dis-proven misinformation as facts, people who might be persuadable stop paying attention to the writer and the publisher.  It should be easy to tear down Trump without over-embellishment; but the media are failing to do so.

Biden isn't a very strong candidate, has little opportunity to campaign, and has given cause to people within his party to worry about his fitness.  The impeachment gambit didn't produce improved ratings for Democrats, so I doubt any new "oversight" will, either.  The Democrats could end up in November with at best a weak presidential candidate who has had no opportunity to sell his case and at worst one showing clear signs of deterioration, and a congressional membership remembered mostly for politicizing the worst crisis in decades.

 

[FJAG]

Now its just Joe and Donald:

Bernie Sanders ends his second bid for the presidency

Dropping out isn't good enough, Bernie. What you need to do is get out there and strongly support Biden, not sulk like a little kid the way you did after the party chose Clinton. That's what let Trump sneak in back in 2016. Man up!

:2c: