Biden secures Democratic presidential nomination for November showdown against Trump
Joe Biden won enough delegates on Saturday to become the Democratic presidential nominee in November’s election against President Donald Trump, NBC News projects. To win the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination on the first ballot at the party’s convention, a candidate must receive support from a majority of pledged delegates — at least 1,991 of the […]
Over 1,000 coronavirus deaths reported in the past 24 hours. Officials fear protests will bring new outbreaks
In a little over a week, Americans have gone from taking their first hesitant stepsoutside again to marching in tightly-packed crowds in cities all over the country. Any uncertainty about venturing out during a coronavirus pandemic has been seemingly cast aside to protest police brutality after watching the video of George Floyd pinned under an […]
Civil Rights Groups Sue Trump After Violent Dispersal Of Protesters Outside White House
The American Civil Liberties Union and Black Lives Matter sued the Trump administration for what the groups called an “unconstitutional” and “frankly criminal attack” on protesters outside the White House earlier this week. The federal lawsuit, filed on behalf of five demonstrators, comes after law enforcement used gas canisters and flash-bang grenades to disperse largely […]
George Floyd’s memorial filled with love, hope and calls for change
A memorial service for George Floyd on Thursday at North Central University in Minneapolis was filled with love, hope and calls for sweeping change. The first of a handful of services planned to honor Floyd’s life and mourn his death, hundreds of people, including family and civil rights leaders, were in attendance. Family remembered Floyd’s […]
Obama calls for police reforms, tells protesters to ‘make people in power uncomfortable’
Former President Barack Obama offered advice to demonstrators during a virtual town hall on Wednesday in his first on-camera remarks as growing unrest against police brutality continues across the country. “To bring about real change, we both have to highlight a problem and make people in power uncomfortable,” Obama said. “But we also have to […]
3 more Minneapolis officers charged in George Floyd death, Derek Chauvin charges elevated
Three more former Minneapolis police officers were charged Wednesday in the death of George Floyd, five days after charges were brought against a fourth officer who was seen in a video kneeling on Floyd’s neck. The three former officers, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng, were charged with aiding and abetting murder, according […]
James Mattis Denounces President Trump, Describes Him as a Threat to the Constitution
James Mattis, the esteemed Marine general who resigned as secretary of defense in December 2018 to protest Donald Trump’s Syria policy, has, ever since, kept studiously silent about Trump’s performance as president. But he has now broken his silence, writing an extraordinary broadside in which he denounces the president for dividing the nation, and accuses […]
Joe Biden: George Floyd’s final words ‘I can’t breathe’ are a wake-up call ‘for all of us’
Joe Biden on Tuesday praised the nationwide peaceful protests following the death of George Floyd, calling his killing in police custody a “wake-up call for our nation” and accusing President Donald Trump of sowing division. In a speech from Philadelphia City Hall, Biden repeated Floyd’s final words before he died after a white Minneapolis police […]
Trump Says RNC Will Pull Republican Convention From North Carolina
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the Republican National Committee would relocate its upcoming nominating convention from North Carolina after the state’s governor refused to guarantee that tens of thousands of people could gather in an indoor arena during the coronavirus pandemic. “Governor [Roy] Cooper is still in Shelter-In-Place Mode, and not allowing us to occupy […]
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) ousted in Iowa GOP primary
Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, who has a long history of racist and outrageous remarks, lost his long-held House seat in a primary race Tuesday, NBC News projected. With 95 percent of the vote counted at 12:18 a.m. ET, King trailed his challenger, state Sen. Randy Feenstra, by 7,785 votes, or 45.8 percent to 35.8 percent. […]
Protests remain peaceful, show no sign of fading more than a week after the death of George Floyd
Americans hit the streets for a seventh day to decry the in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25, a shocking incident caught on video that has reanimated a nation paralyzed by a pandemic. Demonstrations that began in Minneapolis on May 26 spread across the nation over the following nights and, on Tuesday, […]
Bob Cesca: Donald Trump’s chaos and cruelty set the tone for the nation — and here we are
This is what it looks like when too many aggrieved Americans become deluded enough to elect a buffoonish, malicious, bigoted weirdo who tried to sell beef in Sharper Image mall stores. Yet it still manages to shock us, and rightfully so, when we observe how Donald Trump remains grossly out of his depth, incapable of […]
Peaceful Protesters Were Gassed Outside The White House So Trump Could Get A Photo Op At A Church
Police unloaded rounds of tear gas at peaceful protesters outside the White House on Monday evening, clearing the way for President Donald Trump to deliver an ominous speech against the nationwide protests sparked by the latest killings of unarmed black people. He then walked through the newly opened path to participate in a nearby photo […]
Independent autopsy and Minnesota officials say George Floyd’s death was homicide
Experts hired by George Floyd’s family and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner have concluded his death was a homicide, but they differ on what caused it. The independent autopsy says Floyd died of “asphyxiation from sustained pressure” when his neck and back were compressed by Minneapolis police officers during his arrest last week. The pressure […]
Trump, Barr tell governors to ‘dominate’ streets in response to unrest
In a call with the nation’s governors Monday, an angry President Donald Trump told state leaders they must “dominate” out-of-control protests, calling on law enforcement to get “much tougher” and blaming unrest erupting across many communities squarely on “the radical left.” The president and Attorney General William Barr used the word “dominate” nearly a dozen […]
As Protests Swell, Trump Vows To Unleash Military Against Anti-Racist Demonstrations
Speaking from the Rose Garden on Monday evening, Donald Trump issued an unprecedented threat from an American president: that he would send “thousands of heavily armed soldiers” into Washington, D.C., to quell protests and would follow by invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy the military into other U.S. cities if mass protests against police brutality […]
Charlie Pierce: The President* Is Right: He Has Nothing New to Say
The more leaks there are from Monday’s disastrous teleconference between El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago and the nation’s governors, the more you realize exactly what a perilous moment this is in our history. As background, however, we should first look at another report that emerged prior to when everything hit the fan in Lafayette Park. Read […]
Newly Released Transcripts Show Michael Flynn Betrayed the United States
Michael Flynn did something far worse than lie to the FBI. He betrayed the United States. That’s the major revelation of the just-released transcripts of the conversations he had during the presidential transition with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Up until now, the Flynn scandal has generally centered on his criminal case, in which Flynn, Donald […]
Biden visits protest site in Delaware
Former Vice President Joe Biden on Sunday left his home for a site in Wilmington, Del., that has seen protests over the death of a black man at the hands of a white police officer. It was his second time in a week he ventured outside after having elected to campaign from his house since […]
Tanker Truck Barrels Toward Crowd Of Thousands Of Protesters In Minneapolis
A tanker truck sped toward thousands of protesters in Minneapolis on Sunday in a shocking moment as demonstrations over the death of George Floyd continue to spread around the nation. Local news outlets were broadcasting live from the protest on Minneapolis’ I-35 highway, the sixth day of demonstrations following the man’s death in police custody. […]
Unrest Overshadows Peaceful U.S. Protests For Another Night
With cities wounded by days of violent unrest, America headed into a new week with neighborhoods in shambles, urban streets on lockdown and shaken confidence about when leaders would find the answers to control the mayhem amid unrelenting raw emotion over police killings of black people. All of it smashed into a nation already bludgeoned […]
Trump White House in turmoil as top staffers battle over how to address massive street protests
According to a report from Politico, top aides to Donald Trump are at a loss over how to address the street protests over the death of George Floyd that have expanded right up to the White House gates. With reports that the Secret Service moved a “rattled” Trump to a secure bunker under the White […]
Elie Mystal: People Can Only Bear So Much Injustice Before Lashing Out
I would never throw a rock at the police. I would never throw a brick through the window of a big-box store. I would never set fire to an office building. But I want to. I understand why some people do. I know I am supposed to counsel nonviolence. I’m a 42-year-old man with a […]
George Floyd protest updates: Police arrest almost 1,700 people across 22 cities in 3 days
The death of George Floyd, a black man who died on Memorial Day after he was pinned down by a white Minnesota police officer, has sparked outrage and protests in Minneapolis and across the United States. City leaders have pleaded with communities to voice their outrage in a lawful manner, but the widespread escalation of […]
Eric Boehlert: America has a Mark Zuckerberg problem
If Trump has a chance of being re-elected this year, that chance runs right through Facebook and its compliant CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. He’s already given the Trump campaign a green light to lie incessantly on social media by announcing Facebook would not police false political content, and that candidates could post whatever misinformation they wanted. […]
The Rude Pundit: The President Is the Enemy
May 4 was the 50th anniversary of the Kent State Massacre, where the National Guard opened fire on Vietnam War protesters on the campus of Kent State University, killing 4 people. The authorities shooting unarmed protesting Americans was a thing that happened with ludicrous regularity in the 1960s and early 1970s. Really, for most of […]
Guest At Packed Memorial Day Weekend Pool Party in Lake of the Ozarks Tests Positive For Coronavirus
A person who attended a packed pool party in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, over Memorial Day weekend — video of which went viral and drew widespread condemnation — has tested positive for the coronavirus. Camden County Health Department issued a health warning on Facebook on Friday, revealing an unidentified person from Boone County had […]
Ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin charged with murder in George Floyd case
The former Minneapolis police officer shown on video putting his knee on George Floyd’s neck for more than 8 1/2 minutes — as he pleaded for air and his mother — was arrested Friday and charged with murder, authorities said. Derek Chauvin, who was fired on Tuesday along with the three other officers involved in […]
A night of ‘absolute chaos’ as outrage over George Floyd’s death spreads across America
Protests raged across America on Friday on a brutal night in cities where people gathered to grieve and demand justice for George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody. Demonstrations that began peacefully turned chaotic and dangerous as the night wore on. They resulted in widespread property damage, numerous injuries and at least […]
A CNN crew has been arrested live on television while covering Minneapolis protests
A CNN crew was arrested by police Friday morning while giving a live television report in Minneapolis, where the crew was covering ongoing protests over the death of George Floyd. The crew, including correspondent Omar Jimenez, were handcuffed and detained as Jimenez gave a live report on a Minneapolis street shortly after 5 a.m. CT […]
Minneapolis police precinct burns as protests rage on after death of George Floyd
A police precinct was burning in Minneapolis as protests over the death of George Floyd raged on for a third straight day. Protesters late Thursday focused their attention on the police department’s 3rd Precinct, the base of four officers who were firedafter Floyd’s death in their custody Monday. Read the rest of the story at […]
Twitter places warning on Trump post overnight, saying tweet glorifies violence
Twitter said Friday that President Donald Trump violated its rules against glorifying violence when he tweeted about protests over the death of George Floyd. The company, which is already embroiled in a dispute with the president over what is acceptable on the platform, did not remove the tweet. On Thursday, with fires burning in Minneapolis […]
White House Says Trump Plans to Sign Executive Order ‘Pertaining to Social Media’
President Donald Trump went on a tear against Twitter after the social media platform flagged his tweets on mail-in voting as misinformation. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters this afternoon the president plans to sign an executive order “pertaining to social media.” Read the rest of the story at Mediaite.
1 Dead As Minneapolis Protests Erupt After Death Of George Floyd
Protests erupted in Minneapolis for the second day in a row on Wednesday over the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck. The demonstrations turned violent in some areas following a daylong protest outside a police station where officers used tear gas and rubber […]
U.S. death toll from coronavirus tops 100,000
More than 100,000 people have died from coronavirus in the U.S., the highest death toll of any nation, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University. There have been nearly 1.7 million confirmed cases of the virus across the country (out of more than 5.6 million cases worldwide). New York continues to have the highest […]
Talkers Magazine: Miller’s Tour Going Virtual
The global pandemic can’t keep Stephanie Miller’s “Sexy Liberal Tour” down. Miller’s SM Radio Productions says, “Until it’s safe to travel and gather in large groups again, the hysterically funny ‘Sexy Liberal Tour’ is now set to come into fans’ homes with ‘Stephanie Miller’s Sexy Liberal Virtual Tour.’” Read the rest of the story at […]
Radio Ink: Talker Stephanie Miller Goes Virtual
Stephanie Miller, the Crossover Media Group syndicated political talker, is hitting the virtual road for a comedy show tour. Stephanie Miller’s Sexy Liberal Virtual Tour debuts Saturday, June 6. The montly online event will feature Miller, along with John Fugelsang, Hal Sparks and Frances Callier and Angela V. Shelton (aka “Frangela”) in a special online […]
All Access: Stephanie Miller’s Sexy Liberal Tour Goes Virtual
Syndicated talk host STEPHANIE MILLER’s SEXY LIBERAL TOUR standup comedy shows have been sidelined from the live event circuit due to the pandemic, but it is continuing as a monthly video live stream from MILLER’s SM RADIO PRODUCTIONS, INC. and RUN THE WORLD. The debut online edition will stream on JUNE 6th at 9p (ET), […]
White dog owner fired after calling 911 on black man in viral-video leash-law dispute
A cellphone video has gone viral and is sparking widespread outrage after capturing a white dog owner calling 911 and claiming an African American birdwatcher who told her to keep her pet leashed was “threatening myself and my dog” in New York City’s Central Park. The confrontation occurred on Memorial Day in a wooded area […]
Officers involved in death of black man detained in Minneapolis have been fired
Four Minnesota officers have been fired following the detainment of a man who died Monday night after being pinned to the ground by an officer who put his knee on the man’s neck for about eight minutes. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said it was the “right call” to terminate the officers in a tweet announcing […]
Trump calls mask wearing ‘politically correct,’ Biden calls him a ‘fool’
President Trump dismissed a mask-wearing reporter as being “politically correct” on Tuesday while the presumptive Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, called him a “fool” for mocking their use. The president’s refusal to wear a face mask in public, defying recommendations from public health experts, has become a symbol for his supporters resisting stay-at-home orders amid the […]
Twitter Applies Fact-Check Labels To Trump Tweets For First Time
Twitter labeled two of President Donald Trump’s tweets with a fact-check warning on Tuesday for the first time, prompting the president to accuse the platform of “stifling free speech.” The social media platform applied the tag on two of Trump’s tweets that made claims, without evidence, that voting with mail-in ballots would be “substantially fraudulent.” […]
Charlie Pierce: For Republicans, It’s Just Pure Base Politics Now
The news from the Laboratories of Democracy never sleeps, and that is especially true in the bubbling beakers and flasks of the great state of Oklahoma, which, apparently, has had enough of messing around with exceptions to the rules. Read the rest of Charlie Pierce’s piece at Esquire.
WHO Warns Of ‘Second Peak’ In Coronavirus Infections If Restrictions Lifted Too Soon
Countries where coronavirus infections are declining could still face an “immediate second peak” if they let up too soon on measures to halt the outbreak, the World Health Organization said on Monday. The world is still in the middle of the first wave of the coronavirus outbreak, WHO emergencies head Dr Mike Ryan told an […]
Trump threatens to pull Republican convention out of North Carolina if convention arena can’t be completely full of people
President Donald Trump began a solemn Memorial Day railing against North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, ahead of the 2020 Republican National Convention, threatening to pull it out of Charlotte, where the convention is expected to be held August 24 to 27. Trump contended that Cooper is “unable to guarantee” that the arena can […]
Biden wears mask at Memorial Day event in Delaware
Joe Biden ventured out of his home in Wilmington, Delaware, for his first brief public event in two months on Monday, to observe Memorial Day. Accompanied by his wife Dr. Jill Biden, he laid a flower wreath at Wilmington Memorial Park. The Bidens, who both wore black masks, placed the wreath of white roses before […]
The Lincoln Project: Memorial Day
To the families of the fallen women and men who have died for this land we love: we thank you and honor your loss by continuing the fight for liberty, justice, and freedom each and every day. A new ad from @ProjectLincoln #MemorialDay https://youtu.be/KwIESh3HVdQ
Biden Spokesperson Symone Sanders STEAMROLLS Chuck Todd On ‘You Ain’t Black’ Question: ‘I’m Not Going To Do This’
Senior Joe Biden campaign adviser Symone Sanders positively steamrolled MSNBC’s Chuck Todd when Todd tried to ask a question about Biden’s controversial remark to radio host Charlamagne Tha God. At the tailed end of a lengthy interview Friday, Biden cracked “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or for Trump, then […]
White House Press Secretary Goofs Up, Broadcasts Trump’s Banking Details
Oops. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Friday inadvertently revealed President Donald Trump’s banking details to a massive audience as she showed off a check he had written. Trump’s bank account and routing number were visible on the paperwork McEnany displayed to the media at a press briefing, The New York Times noticed. The […]
Trump Plays Golf As Coronavirus Death Toll Nears 100,000 In U.S.
President Donald Trump played golf Saturday for the first time since he declared the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency more than two months ago, leading to the shutdown of much of American society. His return to the course was the latest sign that he wants the country back to pre-outbreak times, even as the U.S. […]
Congress is moving to another round of coronavirus relief. Here are the battle lines.
Congress is moving toward another round of coronavirus relief as jittery Republican senators demand action and the Trump administration says more legislation is likely to be needed, with unemployment soaring and the U.S. death toll approaching 100,000. Lawmakers are far from a deal, but the battle lines are emerging in what is likely to be […]
Trump spotted wearing mask during Ford tour but refuses to wear it in front of news cameras
President Donald Trump has a face covering with the presidential seal on it, but he refused to wear it Thursday on the public part of his tour of a Ford plant in Michigan despite factory policy. The president was given a mask by Ford. He was photographed wearing a mask at the plant, and a […]
Biden holds 11-point lead over Trump in new national poll
Former Vice President Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump by 11 points in a new national poll of registered voters focused on November’s presidential election. The survey from Quinnipiac University shows Biden with 50% to Trump’s 39%, up from the 49% to 41% lead Biden held in an April 8 poll by the same university. […]
Trump’s Vaccine Chief Has Vast Ties to Drug Industry, Posing Possible Conflicts
The chief scientist brought on to lead the Trump administration’s vaccine efforts has spent the last several days trying to disentangle pieces of his stock portfolio and his intricate ties to big pharmaceutical interests, as critics point to the potential for significant conflicts of interest. The scientist, Moncef Slaoui, is a venture capitalist and a […]
Trump has ‘legal’ and ‘moral responsibility’ to wear mask on Ford plant tour, Michigan attorney general says
Ahead of President Trump’s planned trip Thursday to a Ford manufacturing plant in Michigan, the state’s attorney general implored him to wear a face mask on his tour, citing a “legal responsibility.” In an open letter addressed to Trump, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) asked the president, who has consistently appeared barefaced in public […]
Trump blasts mass absentee ballot efforts in Michigan & Nevada, ignoring identical efforts in Georgia & West Virginia
President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to withhold federal funding for Michigan and Nevada over their pursuit of mass mail-in voting. The president said, falsely, that Michigan is sending “absentee ballots” to 7.7 million voters, following that with a warning to Nevada if it pursues voting by mail. Michigan’s secretary of state, Jocelyn Benson, said […]
Jon Sinton: A Turning Point: Part I, Where We Are
What has gone wrong with our country since its peak, which, one might argue, was the fifty-year period following the second world war? After putting men on the moon, we felt as though the government, comprised of a lot of our neighbors and friends with “the right stuff,” could do anything. It’s hard not to […]
Mnuchin, Powell defend government’s efforts to revive economy as senators press for answers
President Trump’s drive to swiftly reopen the economy came under fire Tuesday from Democratic senators who pointedly questioned the administration strategy, forcing Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to insist the White House would not sacrifice workers’ lives for economic gain. But the growing insistence by Trump and Republican lawmakers to push for reopening while halting any […]
Trump Shuts Down Reporter for Asking About Unemployed Americans: ‘Just a Rude Person, You Are’
President Donald Trump shut down a reporter who asked why he hadn’t yet revealed a plan to get unemployed Americans back to work following the coronavirus pandemic, calling her a “rude person” on Tuesday. “Mr. President, why haven’t you announced a plan to get 36 million unemployed Americans back to work. You’re overseeing historic economic […]
Bob Cesca: Trump, Barr and the Obamagate scam… there’s no there there. The Red Hats won’t care
As we slowly advance closer and closer to November, it’s important to remind ourselves that Donald Trump was impeached for attempting to cheat in the 2020 presidential election. Indeed, it’s crucial to circle back to events like this during the Trump era, given how the firehose of news relentlessly floods the zone with awfulness every damn […]
Pelosi slams Trump for taking hydroxychloroquine, calls him ‘morbidly obese’
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., chastised President Donald Trump on Monday for his decision to take hydroxychloroquine, saying that health experts have warned about its effects and that it could be harmful to the president because she said he’s “morbidly obese.” “As far as the President is concerned, he’s our president and I would rather […]
Trump says it’s OK for Pompeo to have a paid government employee wash dishes if his wife or son isn’t there
President Donald Trump said Monday that he would prefer for government employees to wash Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s dishes if his wife or son was not there to do so. While the dish-washing assertion was not among those reportedly investigated by the State Department inspector general fired by Trump last week at Pompeo’s recommendation, […]
Trump threatens to make WHO funding freeze permanent
President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to make the freeze on U.S. funding for the World Health Organization permanent. He also laid out allegations of “missteps” in the way the agency responded to the coronavirus in a letter he said he sent to the WHO’s leader. The letter, which was posted to Trump’s Twitter account […]
Trump says he’s taking hydroxychloroquine to prevent COVID-19
President Donald Trump said Monday that he has been taking hydroxychloroquine, an unproven treatment for COVID-19 that he has vigorously promoted. “A lot of good things have come out about the hydroxy. A lot of good things have come out. You’d be surprised at how many people are taking it, especially the front-line workers — […]
Charlie Pierce: Republicans Have Turned to Full-On Voter Intimidation in 2020
Again, I say to my friends at The Lincoln Project, and to the Never Trump community in general: put some money and energy behind campaigns against the policies that made the current president* not just possible, but inevitable. Help the country out that way, so that debacles like the current one are less likely to […]
The Lincoln Project: This Week
Nearly 90,000 American lives have been lost. The virus is still spreading. And Donald Trump continues to deny and deflect, failing the people he was elected to serve. Check out the latest video from The Lincoln Project.
Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine shows encouraging early results in human safety trial
Moderna, the Massachusetts biotechnology company behind a leading effort to create a coronavirus vaccine, announced promising early results from its first human safety tests Monday. The company plans to launch a large clinical trial in July aimed at showing whether the vaccine works. The company reported that in eight patients who had been followed for […]
Eric Boehlert: West Wing nervous breakdown — and media still won’t demand Trump resign
Unfurling a West Wing nervous breakdown, Trump spent Mother’s Day tweeting like a true mad man, posting and re-posting more than 120 missives. The rants ricocheted from alleged crimes by Democrats, to an array of perceived enemies swirling around his head, including a cable TV host, FBI officials, and the entire state of California. The […]
Fired State Department watchdog was looking into whether Pompeo made staffer walk his dog, pick up laundry
The State Department inspector general who was removed from his job Friday was looking into whether Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a staffer walk his dog, pick up his dry cleaning and make dinner reservations for Pompeo and his wife, among other personal errands, according to two congressional officials assigned to different committees. The […]
White House adviser blames CDC for letting ‘the country down’ with early testing snags
One of President Donald Trump’s top economic advisers criticized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s early response to the coronavirus spread Sunday, telling NBC’s “Meet the Press” the CDC “let the country down” initially with testing problems. When asked whether Trump had faith in the CDC, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, and coordinator […]
The Rude Pundit: At the Bright Hearing, Republicans Tell Scientists… You May Have Your Fancy Studies, But We Have Anecdotes
Dr. Rick Bright, who has spent his adult life working to make vaccines to prevent terrible diseases and who desperately tried to get the louche, evil frauds in the Trump administration to do something about the goddamn coronavirus that was about to fuck our shit up and then got fired for his efforts, was the […]
Justin Amash Abandons Third-Party Run for President
Independent Michigan Congressman Justin Amash has abandoned his flirtation with a third-party presidential run, announcing his decision in a Twitter thread Saturday afternoon. In a lengthy Twitter thread, Amash cited, among other things, the challenge of campaigning during the coronavirus pandemic. Read the rest of the story at Mediaite.
Trump Orders McConnell to ‘Get Tough and Move Quickly’ to Investigate ‘Russia Hoax’ in Twitter Rant
President Donald Trump demanded that GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ‘get tough and move quickly’ to get back at Democrats for launching the ‘Russia Hoax’ during a Saturday morning Twitter rant. “Mitch, I love you, but this is 100% true,” Trump said quote tweeting a user advocating for going after Democrats for “Russian collusion […]
Obama slams Trump administration’s leadership amid coronavirus pandemic
Former President Barack Obama criticized “the folks in charge” for their response to the coronavirus pandemic in a commencement address Saturday, offering some of his most pointed condemnation of President Donald Trump’s administration. “More than anything, this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in […]
House passes Democrats’ $3T coronavirus ‘HEROES’ aid: Stimulus checks, money for states, rent assistance
The House on Friday narrowly passed a $3 trillion coronavirus relief package crafted by Democrats that would include another round of stimulus payments of up to $1,200 per person. President Donald Trump this week declared the Democrats’ proposal “DOA.” Similar to the first major coronavirus aid package signed into law in late March, the 1,815-page […]
Trump fires State Department watchdog looking into Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
President Donald Trump on Friday removed a watchdog critical of personnel moves in the State Department. Trump informed Congress of the move in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, in which he gave no specific reason for firing State Department Inspector General Steve Linick. Trump wrote he “no longer” had full confidence in […]
5 takeaways from pandemic whistleblower Rick Bright’s House hearing
Rick Bright, who filed a whistleblower complaint after being removed from his position as head of the agency in charge of pandemic response, testified for just under four hours Thursday before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s health subcommittee. Bright slammed the Trump administration’s coronavirus response and urged lawmakers to listen to the voices […]
Officials Release Long-Delayed And Edited Down Coronavirus Reopening Guidance
U.S. health officials on Thursday released some of their long-delayed guidance that schools, businesses and other organizations can use as states reopen from coronavirus shutdowns. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted six one-page “decision tool” documents that use traffic signs and other graphics to tell organizations what they should consider before reopening. The […]
Donald Trump Refuses To Wear Mask At Mask Supplier, Suggests Testing Is ‘Overrated’
President Donald Trump on Thursday griped about the pressure he’s facing to increase the ability to test people for the coronavirus, saying that testing might be “overrated” anyway. “We have the best testing in the world. Could be that testing is, frankly, overrated. Maybe it is overrated,” Trump said during a visit to Owens & Minor, […]
McConnell admits he was wrong to say Obama didn’t leave Trump a pandemic ‘game plan’
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., admitted he was wrong when he that the Obama administration never left a plan for President Donald Trump for how to handle a pandemic. “I was wrong — they did leave behind a plan. So I clearly made a mistake in that regard,” McConnell said in a Thursday evening […]
Natasha Bertrand: Trump exults in his Mueller revenge play
“Hope you had fun investigating me,” reads a meme that has been reposted by President Donald Trump, his family and his allies several times over the last week on social media. “Now it’s my turn.” More than one year after the Russia investigation ended and six months before he faces re-election, Trump is getting his […]
The Risks: Know Them, Avoid Them
It seems many people are breathing some relief, and I’m not sure why. An epidemic curve has a relatively predictable upslope and once the peak is reached, the back slope can also be predicted. We have robust data from the outbreaks in China and Italy, that shows the backside of the mortality curve declines slowly, […]
Unreleased White House report shows coronavirus rates spiking in heartland communities
Coronavirus infection rates are spiking to new highs in several metropolitan areas and smaller communities across the country, according to undisclosed data the White House’s pandemic task force is using to track rates of infection, which was obtained by NBC News. The data in a May 7 coronavirus task force report are at odds with […]
Wisconsin Supreme Court strikes down state’s stay-at-home order
The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down the state’s stay-at-home order during the coronavirus pandemic as “unlawful, invalid, and unenforceable” after finding that the state’s health secretary exceeded her authority. In a 4-3 ruling, the court called Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm’s directive, known as Emergency Order 28, a “vast seizure of power.” Read […]
Trump criticizes Fauci’s Senate testimony: ‘Not an acceptable answer’
President Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized comments Dr. Anthony Fauci made during a congressional hearingabout the risks of reopening the country too soon as “not an acceptable answer.” “I was surprised by his answer, actually, because, you know, to me it’s not an acceptable answer, especially when it comes to schools,” Trump said during a […]
Biden Increases Lead Over Trump From 2 to 8 Points as President Slumps in New Poll
A new poll out Wednesday reveals a whole lot of good news for former Vice President Joe Biden, and bad news for President Donald Trump. According to the latest Retuers/Ipsos survey, Biden — the presumptive Democratic nominee — has surged to an eight point lead in the race. The same poll showed Biden ahead by […]
6 takeaways from Anthony Fauci’s and health officials’ testimony
The appearance came after the White House blocked Fauci from testifying in the Democratic-controlled House but allowed him to testify in the GOP-controlled Senate. Fauci and the committee’s chairman, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), appeared via video after being exposed to those who had come down with the novel virus. Also appearing at Tuesday’s hearing were […]
Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Releasing Trump’s Financial Records
The very nature of the presidency was under scrutiny at the Supreme Court on Tuesday, as the justices heard more than three hours of arguments on whether House committees and prosecutors may obtain troves of information about President Trump’s business affairs. The court’s ruling, expected by July, could require disclosure of information the president has […]
Bob Cesca: Dr. Trump’s crazypants new plan… A fast reopen, lots more death and he wins anyway
Every ridiculous action taken by Donald Trump makes a little more sense when viewed through the prism of re-election. Every terrible decision, every whiny outburst, every childish tweet is issued with the goal of helping Trump get re-elected, and of course re-election explains his horrifyingly incompetent response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than safely and sanely handling […]
Charlie Pierce: You Can’t Ignore This Stuff During a Pandemic, When All Life’s Usual Guideposts Are Gone
The marriage of right-wing political paranoia with anti-vaccination foolishness is enough of a public-health debacle on its own without grafting reactionary Catholicism onto it as a bonus. (This letter reeks of the old anti-Masonic Catholicism, from the days when joining the Masons meant automatic excommunication. I’m not that nostalgic for the days of Leo XIII.) […]
DOJ to consider possible federal hate crime charges in Ahmaud Arbery shooting
The Department of Justice said Monday it will consider a request by Georgia’s attorney general to review the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery and assess whether federal hate crime charges should be pursued in the high-profile case. The federal government’s further involvement would underscore a larger demand by Arbery’s family and civil rights groups for […]
Unreleased White House report shows coronavirus rates spiking in heartland communities
Coronavirus infection rates are spiking to new highs in several metropolitan areas and smaller communities across the country, according to undisclosed data the White House’s pandemic task force is using to track rates of infection, which was obtained by NBC News. The data in a May 7 coronavirus task force report are at odds with […]
Fauci Reportedly To Warn Senate Of ‘Needless Suffering And Death’ If U.S. Reopens Too Soon
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, plans to warn lawmakers on Tuesday that the country could face “needless suffering and death” should the American economy reopen too soon, according to an email exchange with The New York Times. “The major message that I wish to convey to the Senate [Health, Education, Labor […]
Trump Storms Out Of Coronavirus Briefing After Female Reporters Challenge Him
President Donald Trump abruptly ended his coronavirus press briefing on Monday after getting visibly angry with two female reporters. In the final moments of his briefing, Trump took a question from CBS News reporter Weijia Jiang, who asked him why he so often claimed the U.S. was “doing far better than any other country when […]
Trump Adviser: It’s ‘Scary To Go To Work’ As Coronavirus Spreads Through White House
White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said it is “scary to go to work” in the White House after several officials were diagnosed with COVID-19 and several others entered self-quarantine to avoid spreading coronavirus. “It is scary to go to work,” Hassett said on “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “I think that I’d be a […]
Pence putting ‘a little distance’ after staffer tests positive for COVID-19
Vice President Mike Pence was putting “a little distance” between himself and others this weekend after a staffer tested positive for COVID-19, a senior administration official told NBC News. The official said that Pence would take the advice of the White House medical unit and that he continues to test negative for the virus. The […]
Eric Boehlert: Access journalism is killing us
Finally emerging from his pandemic-era Fox News bunker, Trump sat for an interview with ABC News this week. For weeks as the U.S. death toll skyrocketed and tens of millions of people lost their jobs, Trump had agreed only to answer pleasing, one-on-one questions from Fox News. He did his best to create an alternate […]
The Rude Pundit: Directions to Damnation… Donald Trump’s Deranged Interview with ABC
How fucking weird and disconcerting and downright disturbing was the interview President Donald Trump did with ABC anchor David Muir? The fact that they were propped awkwardly on tall chairs over 10 feet from each other on the factory floor of the Honeywell plant that makes masks for COVID-19 protection (and which Trump had toured […]
‘Chaotic disaster’: Obama hits Trump’s coronavirus response, warns of disinformation ahead of election
After largely staying out of the fray since leaving the White House, former President Barack Obama pointedly criticized the Trump administration on a range of issues while also sounding the alarm about the spread of misinformation ahead of the presidential election as he rallied former members of his administration to join him in doing all […]
Anthony Fauci Enters ‘Modified Quarantine’ After ‘Low Risk’ COVID-19 Contact
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert and member of the White House coronavirus task force, says he’s going into a “modified quarantine” after coming into contact with an administration staff member who contracted COVID-19, CNN reported Saturday. Fauci told CNN that his contact with the staff member is considered “low risk,” meaning […]
Brace yourself, America, for “single worst jobs report in history”
Just two months ago, American workers were enjoying the fruits of the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years. But Friday’s jobs report, reflecting April’s official unemployment rate, is expected to show just how thoroughly the economic collapse caused by the coronavirus has eviscerated the U.S. labor market. Glassdoor economist Daniel Zhao bluntly predicts “the single […]
Father and son arrested and charged with murder in death of Ahmaud Arbery
A white man and his son who are accused of killing an unarmed black man in Georgia in February have been arrested after video of the incident sparked widespread outrage. Gregory McMichael, 64, and Travis McMichael, 34, were arrested in the death of Ahmaud Arbery, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced. Both men face charges […]
Trump’s personal valet tests positive for coronavirus
One of President Donald Trump’s personal valets, who works in the West Wing serving the president his meals, among other duties, has tested positive for the coronavirus, the closest the virus is known to have come to the president, a White House official said. Since the White House medical unit was made aware of the […]
Justice Department drops case against ex-Trump adviser Michael Flynn
The Justice Department is dropping criminal charges against Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser. In documents filed Thursday in federal court in Washington, D.C., the Justice Department said it was recommending that the judge dismiss the criminal case “after a considered review of all the facts and circumstances of this case, including […]
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg hospitalized for gallbladder condition
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was treated Tuesday for a gallstone that was causing an infection, the court said in a statement. She underwent nonsurgical treatment for a benign gallbladder condition at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. The condition was detected Monday after the court’s historic telephone session for oral arguments. Tests confirmed that […]
White House to wind down coronavirus task force
President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force is in the early stages of winding down, according to two people familiar with the matter. The meetings in the Situation Room of the White House have been shorter, and the task force no longer meets every day, according to the two people. Drs. Deborah Birx and Anthony Fauci […]
‘There’ll be more death’: Trump says it’s time to reopen country despite fears of coronavirus rebound
President Donald Trump said Tuesday “there’ll be more death” related to the coronavirus pandemic as a growing number of states move to slowly relax their stay-at-home mandates in the coming months. “It’s possible there will be some because you won’t be locked into an apartment or a house or whatever it is,” Trump told ABC […]
Bob Cesca: Dr. Trump’s crazypants new plan… A fast reopen, lots more death and he wins anyway
Every ridiculous action taken by Donald Trump makes a little more sense when viewed through the prism of re-election. Every terrible decision, every whiny outburst, every childish tweet is issued with the goal of helping Trump get re-elected, and of course re-election explains his horrifyingly incompetent response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the rest of […]
Donald Trump’s failed presidency has left the nation weaker, sicker, and teetering on the verge of a new Great Depression.
Watch the latest video from The Lincoln Project.
Senate set to reopen as virus risk divides Congress
The Senate will gavel in Monday as the coronavirus rages, returning to an uncertain agenda and deepening national debate over how best to confront the deadly pandemic and its economic devastation. With the House staying away due to the health risks, and the 100 senators convening for the first time since March, the conflicted Congress […]
Reade: ‘I didn’t use sexual harassment’ in Biden complaint
Tara Reade, the former Senate staffer who alleges Joe Biden sexually assaulted her 27 years ago, says she filed a limited report with a congressional personnel office that did not explicitly accuse him of sexual assault or harassment. “I remember talking about him wanting me to serve drinks because he liked my legs and thought […]
Birx says protesters not practicing social distancing are ‘devastatingly worrisome’
Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said Sunday that anti-lockdown protests are “devastatingly worrisome” because demonstrators who do not practice social distancing measures could contract the illness and pass it on to others back home. “It’s devastatingly worrisome to me personally, because if they go home and infect their grandmother or their […]
Trump warns coronavirus death toll could reach 100,000
President Donald Trump has warned that the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus outbreak could reach 100,000 — revising upwards his estimate on the number of people the outbreak could kill by tens of thousands. “Look, we’re going to lose anywhere from 75, 80 to 100,000 people. That’s a horrible thing. We shouldn’t lose one […]
Eric Boehlert: Sorry media, Biden case isn’t like Kavanaugh’s — Kavanaugh lied about everything
Rushing to anoint the “hypocrite” label to Joe Biden, large parts of the Beltway media are stressing that a 27-year-old allegation of sexual assault against Biden is an awful lot like the decades-old allegations that were lodged against then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing in 2018. At the time, Debra Ramirez and […]
The Rude Pundit: Things to Keep in Mind About the Tara Reade Allegations
As Democrats grapple with how to handle the accusation by former staff member Tara Reade that Joe Biden sexually assaulted her in a hallway in the Senate office building in 1993, let’s remember that as much as we want it to be about finding out the truth, it’s never just that. And let’s remember that […]
Hundreds of protesters, some carrying guns in the state Capitol, demonstrate against Michigan’s emergency measures
Hundreds of people protested outside the Michigan Capitol building in Lansing on Thursday, with some pushing inside while the Legislature was debating an extension of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s state of emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Protesters held signs, waved American flags and even carried firearms, while some chanted “Let us in!” and “This […]
Statement by Vice President Joe Biden
April was Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Every year, at this time, we talk about awareness, prevention, and the importance of women feeling they can step forward, say something, and be heard. That belief — that women should be heard — was the underpinning of a law I wrote over 25 years ago. To this day, […]
Matthew Miller: It’s not just the bleach. Trump is a catalog of bad ideas that tax resources
President Trump’s open-mic riff suggesting government health experts explore injecting patients with bleach or household disinfectants to fight covid-19 made for easy parody. “And then I see the disinfectant, that knocks it out in a minute, one minute,” he said at Thursday night’s televised news briefing. “Is there a way we can do something like that, by injection, […]
Fed Chair Powell: Second quarter will be “worse than anything we’ve ever seen”
The Federal Reserve is holding its benchmark short-term interest rate near zero in an effort to offset the crushing economic impact of the coronavirus. The U.S. central bank said Wednesday it would keep rates low until there are “signs the economy has recovered from coronavirus and shutdown.” In a press conference following the policy decision, […]
Mayor: Los Angeles is 1st major US city offering all residents tests
The city of Los Angeles will offer free coronavirus testing to all residents regardless of whether they have symptoms, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Wednesday. Testing centers have been set up across the city but until now they were reserved for those with symptoms and frontline employees like health care and grocery store workers. Los Angeles […]
Fauci touts ‘good news’ from remdesivir drug trial in treating COVID-19
Infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci on Wednesday touted the results of trial examining an experimental drug treatment for the novel coronavirus, calling it “good news” as he spoke in the Oval Office alongside President Donald Trump. A randomized, international trial of the drug remdesivir had resulted in “quite good news,” shortening the period patients […]
Trump erupts at campaign manager as reelection stress overflows
As he huddled with advisers on Friday evening, President Donald Trump was still fuming over his sliding poll numbers and the onslaught of criticism he was facing for suggesting a day earlier that ingesting disinfectant might prove effective against coronavirus. Within moments, the President was shouting — not at the aides in the room, but […]
Coronavirus death toll in US now exceeds that of Vietnam War
The coronavirus death toll in the U.S. officially exceeds the number of fatalities during the Vietnam War. Johns Hopkins University’s death toll in the country reached 58,351 as of Tuesday night, surpassing the 58,220 who died during the Vietnam War that lasted almost 20 years, according to the National Archives. But the rate of deaths […]
Pence flouts Mayo Clinic policy by touring coronavirus testing facility without a mask
Vice President Mike Pence went on a tour of the Mayo Clinic’s coronavirus testing labs Tuesday — and ignored the prestigious Minnesota hospital’s rules that all occupants wear masks. “Mayo Clinic had informed @VP of the masking policy prior to his arrival today,” the clinic tweeted while Pence was still inside meeting with doctors and […]
Bob Cesca: Stay home or reopen? We can avoid Trump’s fake choice with a big, bold stimulus
One of the most insane bits of propaganda being injected into the dual coronavirus and economic catastrophes of the moment is the Trump-marketed gibberish about how “the cure can’t be worse than the problem.” It’s an infuriatingly simplistic zinger, condensing myriad complexities into a facile bumper-sticker slogan that will ultimately result in more dead Americans. […]
SBA program reopens with new glitches and new scrutiny after NBA franchise returns loan funds
The government relaunched its small-business aid program Monday, infused with $310 billion in fresh funding, but faced an outcry of complaints over faltering computer systems and delays from bankers and desperate business owners. The program, run by the Small Business Administration, is one of the government’s signature efforts to buoy the nation’s employment during the […]
White House issues coronavirus testing guidance that leaves states in charge
Pressure mounted Monday on the White House and Congress to develop a national strategy to test Americans for exposure to the novel coronavirus, as health and economic experts said the current patchwork of testing efforts is insufficient to allow the economy to reopen safely. Governors, congressional leaders and public health officials have pressed for a […]
Charlie Pierce: Trump’s Narcissism at the Five O’Clock Follies Has Now Been Quantified
Before we open the shebeen for our seventh week of self-quarantine, here’s a little something to brighten your morning: the great Brendan Gleeson and his son, Fergus, setting to music the fine words of Jem Casey, the Poet of the Pick, as first transcribed in the novel, At Swim-Two-Birds, by Flann O’Brien, and adapting the […]
More states are easing coronavirus restrictions this week, unnerving experts and some local officials
Several states are reopening from coronavirus shutdowns this week despite the recommendations of health researchers. Colorado, Minnesota and Montana plan to ease social distancing and stay-at-home restrictions. Iowa will allow elective surgeries to resume and farmers markets to reopen starting Monday. Read the rest of the story at CNN
White House Coronavirus Official: Social Distancing ‘Will Be With Us’ Through Summer
Dr. Deborah Birx, a leading infectious disease expert on the White House’s coronavirus task force, warned Sunday that social distancing will be a necessary practice through the coming summer. During an appearance on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” Birx was asked if Vice President Mike Pence’s prediction Friday that the coronavirus epidemic will be largely “behind […]
Trump Touts Self as ‘Hardest Working President in History’ While Fuming at NYT, Denying He ‘Angrily’ Has ‘Hamburger & Diet Coke’ in Bedroom
Donald Trump got on the presidential Twitter machine on Sunday to go on an enraged rant against The New York Times and their report on his activities in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. See the tweets and read the story at Mediaite.
Eric Boehlert: Trump’s pandemic… 50,000 deaths, 26 million lost jobs. New York Times: Dems in Disarray!
The staggering weight of America’s pandemic continues to come into view with each passing day, as the death toll and the number of lost jobs catapult to new heights. Politically, the carnage represents the worst possible news for the incumbent president, who now has to run for re-election against the grim backdrop of 50,000 deaths […]
The Rude Pundit: Andrew Cuomo Fu**s Mitch McConnell’s Sh** Up
It’s something that doesn’t get said much, but all those red states, all those states with their MAGA citizens looking down at the northeastern libtards who want immigrants but not guns, whose schools teach science and actual history, who elect Democrats, fer chrissakes, yeah, those states pretty much fucking stay in existence because of the […]
White House considering scaling back Trump’s daily coronavirus briefings in coming weeks
After nearly 50 coronavirus press briefings in March and April, President Donald Trump’s aides and allies are increasingly worried that his lengthy appearances are backfiring politically and White House officials say they are evaluating whether to reduce his participation in news conferences in the weeks to come. Concerns that the briefings are hurting the president […]
As global death toll tops 200,000, WHO warns there’s no evidence of coronavirus immunity
There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 are protected from a second infection, the World Health Organization warned Saturday as the worldwide death toll topped 200,000. The health body tweeted that it was continuing to review the evidence on antibody responses to COVID-19, adding that most studies suggest that people […]
Trump signs coronavirus aid bill as tensions rise over next one
President Donald Trump signed a nearly $500 billion interim coronavirus bill into law Friday that includes additional money for the small-business loan program, as well as more funding for hospitals and testing. Trump was joined in the Oval Office for the bill signing by Republican lawmakers and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who has been a […]
Unemployment around the U.S. will reach 16% this year, CBO says
Unemployment around the U.S., near a 50-year low before the coronavirus struck, will surge to 16% by September as the economy withers under the impact of the outbreak, the Congressional Budget Office said Friday. That would far exceed the hit to the labor market during the Great Recession, when the jobless rate peaked at 10%. Unemployment […]
Trump skips questions at coronavirus briefing after disinfectant debacle
A day after he floated the idea of using disinfectants and light to treat COVID-19, President Donald Trump declined to take any questions at his daily coronavirus briefing at the White House. The briefing — which can sometimes last about two hours — was over in just over 20 minutes, following remarks from Trump, Vice […]
Biden predicts Trump will try to delay November election
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Thursday predicted President Donald Trump will try to delay the 2020 presidential election in a ploy to snag a reelection victory. “Mark my words, I think he is gonna try to kick back the election somehow, come up with some rationale why it can’t be held,” Biden said, according […]
Trump Reportedly Approved Of Georgia’s Reopen Plan Before Bashing It
President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence repeatedly told Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp that they approved of his aggressive plan to allow businesses to reopen, just a day before Trump pulled an about-face and publicly bashed the plan, according to two administration officials. The green light from Pence and Trump came in separate private […]
‘It’s irresponsible and it’s dangerous’: Experts rip Trump’s idea of injecting disinfectant to treat COVID-19
President Donald Trump on Thursday suggested exploring disinfectants as a possible treatment for coronavirus infections — an extremely dangerous proposition that medical experts warn could kill people. After a Homeland Security official mentioned the ability of disinfectants like bleach to kill the coronavirus on surfaces, Trump remarked on the effectiveness. “And then I see the […]
Las Vegas Mayor Offers City as ‘Control Group’ to See How Many Die Without Social Distancing
Traditionally, Las Vegas has been a place where Americans go to forget about statistics, but in an appearance on Anderson Cooper 360, Mayor Carolyn Goodman stressed the need for a control group to determine if social distancing measures are the tool that have kept American deaths below the early, catastrophic estimates. Generously for the United […]
U.S. likely to see 50,000 COVID-19 deaths by weekend
At the current rate, the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 is likely to hit 50,000 in just a couple days. There’s no sign yet that the pace of the nation’s losses — in lives or money — is about to slow significantly. This week’s national report on unemployment claims is expected to deliver another devastating […]
ACLU study linked to jails projects coronavirus deaths double US government estimates
Calling the 1,200 mid-sized to large jails in the nation “veritable volcanoes for the spread of the virus,” the American Civil Liberties Union released results on Wednesday of its own epidemiological model projecting a coronavirus death toll in the United States that more than doubles estimates from the federal government. The ACLU teamed with academic […]
House lawmakers scramble back to Washington to vote on $484B relief bill
As the coronavirus public health crisis wears on, lawmakers scrambled back to the nation’s capital for a House vote Thursday on the $484 billion relief package that will boost the exhausted small business loan program – even as the city of Washington remains under a strict stay-at-home order until at least mid-May. “We are asking […]
The Lincoln Project’s New “Pro-Biden” Ad
Donald Trump has left America in a state of danger, despair, and economic depression. We cannot allow him another term. See The Lincoln Project’s new ad here.
Barr calls stay-at-home orders ‘disturbingly close to house arrest’
Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday that the need for strong restrictions to stop the spread of the coronavirus may be passing and that the Justice Department might consider taking legal action against states that go too far. “There are very, very burdensome impingements on liberty,” he told radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt, “and […]
First U.S. coronavirus death happened weeks earlier than originally believed
Medical officials in California’s Santa Clara County, in the heart of Silicon Valley, indicated late Tuesday that the first U.S. death connected to the coronavirus happened weeks earlier than previously believed. Two deaths on Feb. 6 and Feb. 17 were not initially thought to have been COVID-19-related, but further testing has revealed that they were, […]
CDC director warns second wave of coronavirus this winter could be worse
Even as states move ahead with plans to reopen their economies, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Tuesday that a second wave of the novel coronavirus will be far more dire because it is likely to coincide with the start of flu season. “There’s a possibility that the assault of […]
Bob Cesca: Donald Trump’s weird tales… His call to “liberate Virginia” is even worse than you think
The governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, is back on Donald Trump’s grievance radar. This time it’s for supporting a series of common sense gun safety proposals working their way through the newly Democratic-controlled legislature in Richmond. By way of background, you might recall how the commonwealth’s governor was previously attacked by Trump after Northam bungled […]
‘Xenophobe in chief’: Democrats blast Trump’s plan to suspend immigration to the U.S.
Congressional Democrats slammed President Donald Trump after he announced that he plans to suspend immigration to the United States, arguing that such a move does nothing to protect Americans from the coronavirus and deflects attention away from his handling of the outbreak. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., tweeted that Trump is the “xenophobe. […]
Congress reaches deal on coronavirus relief bill, which Trump is expected to sign
Congress reached a deal Tuesday on a nearly $500 billion interim coronavirus bill that includes additional funds for the small business loan program as well as more money for hospitals and testing, Democratic and Republican leaders announced. The Senate will attempt to pass the bill by unanimous consent in a pro-forma session at 4 p.m. […]
The Atlantic: We Are Living in a Failed State
When the virus came here, it found a country with serious underlying conditions, and it exploited them ruthlessly. Chronic ills—a corrupt political class, a sclerotic bureaucracy, a heartless economy, a divided and distracted public—had gone untreated for years. We had learned to live, uncomfortably, with the symptoms. It took the scale and intimacy of a […]
In Georgia and elsewhere in South, governors begin lifting coronavirus restrictions
Some governors in the South have begun loosening restrictions put in place to contain the spread of coronavirus. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Monday granted businesses across the state permission to reopen later this week, an announcement echoed by a handful of other Republican governors who are beginning to lift stay-at-home orders. Kemp’s decision, which […]
Trump says he is suspending immigration over coronavirus, need to protect jobs
President Donald Trump said Monday that he is suspending immigration to the United States in response to the coronavirus pandemic and the “need to protect jobs.” In a tweet Monday night, the president attributed the suspension to an “attack from the Invisible Enemy” and the “need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens.” […]
Oil prices go into negative territory — and Washington is paralyzed over what to do
Airlines, restaurants, retailers, farmers and a slew of other industries are getting billions of dollars in bailouts as the U.S. economy contracts because of the coronavirus pandemic — but America’s oil companies are hitting a dry hole. U.S. oil futures prices fell to their lowest-ever level by far on Monday, at -$37.63 per barrel, meaning […]
WHO chief warns the worst of the coronavirus is still ahead
The World Health Organization chief warned Monday that “the worst is yet ahead of us” in the coronavirus outbreak, reviving the alarm just as many countries ease restrictive measures aimed at reducing its spread. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus didn’t specify why he believes the outbreak that has infected some 2.5 million people and killed […]
Negotiations over interim coronavirus aid bill hit snag on state, local government funding
Congressional negotiations on an interim coronavirus aid bill to further help small businesses and hospitals hit a snag Monday as Democrats continued to push for money for state and local governments. Negotiators said earlier Monday that they were nearing an agreement, but a disagreement unfolded over the state and local funding — a nonstarter for […]
Charlie Pierce: This President* Is Simply a Louder and More Profane Ronald Reagan
There is so much of this administration that is simply a pile of dead fish that the smell of actual dead fish is largely obscured. But, as the Detroit Free Press reports, sooner or later, the balance between metaphorical dead fish and the reek of actual dead fish may well tilt toward the latter. Read […]
Far Right Americans endanger own lives to protest coronavirus stay-at-home orders
Opposition to COVID-19 stay-at-home orders has continued to build from coast to coast, with at least five states the site of protests Sunday. Protesters sporting masks and signs took to their state capitols, while others honked their car horns during gridlock demonstrations calling on their governors to open up their states. In Washington state, a […]
Poll: Majority fear coronavirus restrictions will be lifted too soon
Almost 60 percent of American voters are worried that lifting restrictions on public behavior too soon will lead to a spike in coronavirus cases and deaths. According to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Sunday, 58 percent of registered voters expressed concern about a loosening of restrictions, compared with 32 percent who worried that […]
Contamination Likely Caused Critical Delay Of CDC Coronavirus Testing: Report
A contamination of the first round of COVID-19 testing kits made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention slowed the U.S. government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, The Washington Post and CNN confirmed Saturday. The Food and Drug Administration told CNN that the CDC did not manufacture its tests under the agency’s standard protocol. “CDC […]
Governors say testing still isn’t adequate enough to lift restrictions while US death toll tops 40,000
As many governors across the US say coronavirus testing is far from full capacity, a few states may lift restrictions this week. Announcements of lifting restrictions come as the United States’ coronavirus death toll topped 40,000 on Sunday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The 40,677 deaths are among more than 755,533 coronavirus cases, […]
Eric Boehlert: ABC, CNN, New York Times all admit Trump briefings aren’t news — so now what?
If Trump’s daily pandemic press briefings aren’t newsworthy events, why does the news media continue to shower them with ceaseless attention? Nobody is under any obligation to carry the briefings live and in their entirety. That’s a choice television news outlets make voluntarily. And everyday they choose to turn on the cameras and allow Trump […]
The Rude Pundit: Andrew Cuomo Finally Gets Rid of His Last F***
(Note: Before I get all slobbery on Andrew Cuomo’s knob, lemme preface this by saying I agree with all the things you dislike about him. I’ve got lots of grievances, too, since I fuckin’ work for the state of New York. This ain’t about any of that. Are we good? Yeah, shut up. I don’t […]
While Small Businesses Struggle, Major Chains Like Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse Land Small Business Loans
While mom-and-pops struggle to get a loan through the Payroll Protection Program (PPP), a number of sizable restaurant chains are cashing multimillion-dollar checks from the relief initiative, a cornerstone of federal efforts to help small businesses through the COVID-19 crisis. The parent of the Ruth’s Chris steakhouse chain collected $20 million by applying through each […]
Congressional Democrats press Trump to ramp up testing before reopening economy
On two phone calls with President Donald Trump, congressional Democrats on Thursday pressed him to wait until widespread coronavirus testing is available before issuing federal guidance to reopen the country economically, two lawmakers on the teleconferences told NBC News. But the president insisted that the economy would have to be reopened before broad testing can […]
Rep. Robin Kelly: The system is killing us… Why African Americans face a shockingly higher COVID-19 death rate
As our nation continues struggling to address the COVID-19 pandemic, we are seeing a shocking trend in deaths among African Americans. According to reporting from ProPublica on April 3, African Americans accounted for just 15% of Americans in the 2010 census but represent 35% of COVID-19 diagnoses and 40% of COVID-19 deaths. This dataset is […]
Trump unveils three-phase plan for states to reopen amid coronavirus pandemic
President Donald Trump is set to announce new federal guidelines for reopening the U.S. on Thursday that puts the onus on governors for making decisions about their own state economies, according to the document obtained by NBC News. Under the first phase of the three-phase plan, restaurants, movie theaters and large sporting venues would be […]
Record 22 million have sought unemployment aid in past month
The wave of layoffs that has engulfed the U.S. economy since the coronavirus struck forced 5.2 million more people to seek unemployment benefits last week, the government reported Thursday. Roughly 22 million have sought jobless benefits in the past month — easily the worst stretch of U.S. job losses on record. All told, roughly nearly […]
The Do’s and Don’ts of Cloth Face Masks
Now that we know we should all be wearing cloth face masks in public, it’s best to remember the basics of what to do and what not to do. Here is a quick guide: Do: Wear a face mask whenever you are in public Wash your hands before and after putting on your mask Take […]
Testing Falls Woefully Short as Trump Seeks an End to Stay-at-Home Orders
As President Trump pushes to reopen the economy, most of the country is not conducting nearly enough testing to track the path and penetration of the coronavirus in a way that would allow Americans to safely return to work, public health officials and political leaders say. Although capacity has improved in recent weeks, supply shortages […]
Pelosi calls Trump’s name appearing on stimulus checks ‘shameful’
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday called the decision for President Donald Trump’s name to appear on stimulus checks amid the coronavirus pandemic “shameful.” The President’s name will appear on checks sent to Americans to combat economic fallout from the spread of the disease in a last-minute Treasury Department order, a senior administration official confirmed […]
Trump Threatens To Adjourn Congress For Not Confirming His Judicial Nominees
President Donald Trump spent much of Wednesday’s coronavirus briefing railing against Democrats for blocking his judicial nominees, threatening to shut down both chambers of Congress in the middle of a pandemic so that he can install them himself. The president complained about what he called the “partisan obstruction” of nominees to federal judgeships and key […]
With commerce frozen, retail sales plunge unprecedented 8.7%
U.S. retail sales plummeted 8.7% in March, an unprecedented decline, as the viral outbreak forces an almost complete lock down of commerce nationwide. The deterioration of sales far outpaces the previous record decline of 3.9% that took place during the depths of the Great Recession in November 2008. Auto sales dropped 25.6%, while clothing store […]
Elizabeth Warren endorses former rival Joe Biden for president
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren endorsed Joe Biden for president on Wednesday, becoming the last of the major 2020 Democratic presidential candidates to throw their support behind the former vice president. “In this moment of crisis, it’s more important than ever that the next president restores Americans’ faith in good, effective government,” Warren said in a […]
President Trump directs halt to payments to World Health Organization while US reviews virus warnings regarding China
President Trump directs halt to payments to World Health Organization while US reviews virus warnings regarding China. Read the rest of the story at The Washington Post.
Airlines ink agreement in principle on billions in payroll assistance
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday that 10 airlines, including the four major U.S. carriers, signaled that they plan to accept grants to cover employee payroll and benefits, almost three weeks after a coronavirus stimulus was enacted. Under the stimulus law, Treasury was supposed to start cutting grant checks on April 6, but airlines and […]
Bob Cesca: Donald Trump’s scapegoat hunt… Blame China, blame Fauci, blame the governors
Whenever you read about an obvious scam perpetrated by Donald Trump, it’s important to remember one thing: He’s lying to his own disciples more than anyone else. The rest of us — the “normals,” for lack of a better term — aren’t necessarily the dupes in his various acts of desperate treachery, even though, yeah, we’re all […]
Charlie Pierce: The New York Times Red Dawn Scoop Lays Out the Truth of Trump’s COVID-19 Incompetence
Back in December, back before masks, and social distancing, and back before we all reeked of hand sanitizer and uncertainty, the Washington Post published a giant exclusive in which, through official government documents, the newspaper laid bare the lies and malfeasance behind America’s war in Afghanistan. At the time, it seemed as though this would […]
Obama endorses Biden for president, throwing weight behind his former VP
Former President Barack Obama delivered his long-awaited endorsement of Joe Biden for president on Tuesday, recording an 12-minute video to throw his support behind his former vice president. Mr. Obama’s endorsement of his former vice president comes a day after Senator Bernie Sanders gave a full-throated endorsement of Biden’s presidential bid, ending speculation that […]
Trump Declares He Has ‘Total’ Authority As President In Defiant Press Briefing
President Donald Trump wrongly claimed during a press briefing on Monday that the president’s “authority is total” after reporters pressed him to explain how he would force governors to restart state economies during the coronavirus pandemic. “When somebody’s the president of the United States, the authority is total. And that is the way it’s gonna […]
What are antibody tests and what do they mean for the coronavirus pandemic?
As the world watches and wonders when coronavirus pandemic stay-at-home orders and social distancing measures might end, some hope antibody tests might help provide a solution. Antibody tests — also known as serology tests — aren’t meant to diagnose active infection with the coronavirus. Rather, they check for proteins in the immune system, known as […]
Trump uses coronavirus briefing to air his grievances
President Donald Trump’s grievances with the media and his political opponents took center stage Monday during the daily White House coronavirus briefing after a weekend of tough reporting on his administration’s handling of the pandemic. “Everything we did was right,” Trump told reporters after playing a campaign-style video defending the White House’s response to the […]
California, Oregon and Washington to work together on plan to lift coronavirus restrictions, some Eastern states follow suit
Gov. Gavin Newsom and his counterparts in Washington and Oregon announced “a regional pact to recovery” from the coronavirus crisis on Monday and agreed to work together to develop a plan to lift restrictions on daily life and reopen economies along the West Coast. The announcement comes as six states in the Northeast — New York, […]
Bernie Sanders endorses Joe Biden for president
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday officially endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president. “We need you in the White House. I will do all that I can to see that that happens, Joe,” Sanders said to the former vice president during a livestream broadcast by Biden’s campaign on his website and on social […]
Trump Retweets ‘#FireFauci’ Post in Response to Fauci’s Claim Earlier Mitigation Would’ve Saved Lives
President Donald Trump was clearly annoyed by Dr. Anthony Fauci‘s comments on CNN today regarding the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, retweeting a former congressional candidate’s post that criticized Fauci and used the hashtag “#FireFauci.” Earlier in the day, Fauci had appeared on CNN’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper, and made several comments that may […]
Fauci: Earlier social distancing measures ‘obviously’ would have saved more lives
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, said Sunday that earlier efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. “obviously” could have saved lives but that top health officials faced “a lot of pushback about shutting things down.” Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was […]
Eric Boehlert: If Trump were foreign leader, U.S. press would call him “authoritarian.” So why not here at home?
The telltale signs of autocratic rule are not difficult to identify. And for American news outlets, they’re often quick to tag authoritarian leaders around the world, as they move to curb liberties, skirt existing laws, and curtail press freedoms. Why is it so many of those same news outlets refuse to use the “A” word […]
The Rude Pundit: Trump Stupidly Self-Owns on Pandemic Deaths
Ever since the first death from COVID-19, President Donald Trump has brayed like a howler monkey getting a tree branch stuck up its ass about how allegedly terrible President Obama handled the H1N1 outbreak in 2009-10. On a daily basis, we have heard about how the incompetent fuck-ups in the Obama administration personally went out […]
As feds play ‘backup,’ states take unorthodox steps to compete in cutthroat global market for coronavirus supplies
Rushing to stave off a shortage of medical-grade protective gear to combat the spread of the coronavirus, Minnesota officials leaned on a local company’s global connections to airlift a cache of N95 masks from a Chinese factory back to the state for delivery this week. Washington state purchased 750,000 cotton swabs for coronavirus tests, taking […]
Check your balance: Coronavirus stimulus money starts to flow into bank accounts
Americans are starting to receive their cash payments via direct deposits, part of the $2 trillion bill passed by Congress to stimulate the economy after the decline caused by the pandemic. “#IRS deposited the first Economic Impact Payments into taxpayers’ bank accounts today. We know many people are anxious to get their payments; we’ll continue […]
U.S. Overtakes Italy With Largest Number Of Coronavirus Deaths
The United States surpassed Italy in coronavirus fatalities on Saturday to become the nation with the highest number of reported deaths from the virus worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins data. Italy has counted 152,271 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 19,468 deaths, while the U.S. has counted 522,286 infections and 20,283 deaths as of late […]
He Could Have Seen What Was Coming: Behind Trump’s Failure on the Virus
“Any way you cut it, this is going to be bad,” a senior medical adviser at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Dr. Carter Mecher, wrote on the night of Jan. 28, in an email to a group of public health experts scattered around the government and universities. “The projected size of the outbreak already seems […]
It’s a hoax for Trump to say he was distracted by impeachment to concentrate on his coronavirus response
It’s a hoax for Trump to say that his impeachment hearings distracted him from the coronavirus response. Watch this video from The Lincoln Project and it will show you why.
Barack Obama Slams Wisconsin For Holding Election Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
Barack Obama has slammed the decision to go ahead with this week’s election in Wisconsin, which forced thousands of people out to the polls amid a statewide stay-at-home order aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. The former president, in a thread on Twitter Friday, described the vote as a “debacle” and said “no […]
Google and Apple team up for contact tracing COVID-19 app
Apple and Google announced a rare collaboration on Friday to help battle the novel coronavirus. The tech giants said they would employ Bluetooth to create “contact tracing technology” tools to alert users if they have come in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a joint statement from the companies. […]
Questions remain over whether COVID-19 recovery will guarantee immunity: Is reinfection still possible?
It has been only 101 days since a cluster of cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, China, were reported to the World Health Organization, and already our understanding of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic seems extraordinary. But even with over 1.6 million people infected worldwide it’s unclear whether recovery will make patients immune going forward. “The canvas […]
Trump approval dips as Americans question his handling of coronavirus crisis
President Donald Trump’s job approval has taken a negative turn as a growing number of Americans harbor doubts about his handling of the coronavirus crisis. After seeing a late-March spike as the pandemic ravaged the United States, his approval ratings have fallen back to the mid-40 percent range, where they were before the death toll […]
U.S. spy agencies collected raw intelligence hinting at public health crisis in Wuhan, China, in November
U.S. spy agencies collected raw intelligence hinting at a public health crisis in Wuhan, China, in November, two current and one former U.S. official told NBC News, but the information was not understood as the first warning signs of an impending global pandemic. The intelligence came in the form of communications intercepts and overhead images […]
Unemployment claims surge by 6.6 million as coronavirus continues to rout U.S. workforce
Another wave of 6.6 million American workers filed first-time unemployment claims for the week ending April 4, bringing the cumulative total to an astonishing 16 million over the past three weeks. For the week ending March 21, 3.3 million people filed new unemployment claims, easily shattering the previous record set in 1982 of 695,000. Last […]
Democrats seek hazard pay for health workers amid pandemic
Congressional Democrats are trying to add $13 per hour hazard payments for frontline health care workers up to a total of $25,000 in the next coronavirus relief package, along with $15,000 incentives for people who join the medical workforce surge during the pandemic. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said a so-called Heroes Fund could compensate […]
US coronavirus predictions are shifting. Here’s why…
Things are still getting worse. The US death toll crossed 14,000 on Wednesday, with a record 1,858 deaths reported just on Tuesday. Since the outbreak started, about 425,000 cases have been diagnosed in the US. And researchers say the peak has yet to come. But the main model used by the White House and pretty […]
Linda Tripp, whose tapes were pivotal in Clinton impeachment scandal, dies
Linda Tripp, who secretly recorded her conversations with Monica Lewinsky about the then-intern’s relationship with President Bill Clinton in the White House, has died, according to her mother, Inge Carotenuto, and her former attorney, Joseph Murtha. Carotenuto told CNN that Tripp had been diagnosed with late stage pancreatic/lymph node cancer in the last few days. […]
White House working on plan to cut aid to World Health Organization
The White House’s Office of Management and Budget is working on a possible plan to cut U.S. aid to the World Health Organization, administration officials said Wednesday, as President Donald Trump tries to deflect blame for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Administration officials said they also plan to look into the timeline of the […]
Bernie Sanders drops out of the 2020 race, clearing Joe Biden’s path to the Democratic nomination
Sen. Bernie Sanders ended his presidential campaign on Wednesday, clearing Joe Biden’s path to the Democratic nomination and a showdown with President Donald Trump in November. Sanders made the announcement in a call with his campaign staff, his campaign said. Read the rest of the story at CNN
Stephanie Grisham leaving as White House press secretary after holding no formal briefings
After less than a year on the job, White House press secretary and communications director Stephanie Grisham is stepping down, according to senior Trump administration officials. Grisham is returning to the East Wing to start immediately as first lady Melania Trump’s chief of staff and spokesperson, her office announced Tuesday. She previously served in the […]
Chaos rocks Trump White House on virus’ most tragic day
The chaos and confusion rocking President Donald Trump’s administration on the most tragic day yet of the coronavirus pandemic was exceptional even by his own standards. Trump set out Tuesday to cement his image of a wartime leader facing down an “invisible enemy” at a dark moment as the country waits for the virus to […]
Acting Navy secretary resigns after criticizing ousted captain who raised alarm on outbreak
Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly has resigned, two defense officials said, a day after he ridiculed and then apologized to a captain he had ousted for raising concerns about a coronavirus outbreak on his aircraft carrier. Modly offered to quit in a Tuesday morning conversation with Defense Secretary Mark Esper, the officials said. Esper accepted […]
Bob Cesca: Dr. Trump’s medicine show… Why is he pushing an unproven drug? Follow the money
Donald Trump only cares about Donald Trump. He doesn’t care about you or the country. He only cares about exploiting this crisis to bail out his business and to get himself re-elected, thereby shielding himself from a series of indictments that surely await him if he loses. The sooner we embrace this easily-observable fact about Trump, the better […]
Trump removes independent watchdog for coronavirus funds, upending oversight panel
President Donald Trump has upended the panel of federal watchdogs overseeing implementation of the $2 trillion coronavirus law, tapping a replacement for the Pentagon official who was supposed to lead the effort. A panel of inspectors general had named Glenn Fine — the acting Pentagon watchdog — to lead the group charged with monitoring the […]
Charlie Pierce: The Project to Withdraw This Country From Any Position of World Leadership Never Sleeps
It is part of the shebeen’s mission to keep an eye on what’s going on down at Camp Runamuck besides the overall effort to screw up the response to the pandemic. The project to withdraw the country from all international agreements, and to withdraw the country from any position of world leadership, never sleeps. The […]
U.S. reports 1,200 coronavirus deaths in one day as China lifts lockdown
At the start of what is expected to be the deadliest week of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, the White House tried to offer some hope that measures to contain the spread were working. The virus killed 1,264 over 24 hours in the U.S. as of 2:05 am ET on Tuesday, according to […]
What Does It Mean to Be Furloughed?
Most of us know what it means to be laid off: You’ve been let go from your job, often in a way that is presented as due to no fault of your own, and you are free to both apply for unemployment benefits and pursue new employment possibilities. But what happens when you are furloughed? […]
What to Know If You’re Wearing a Cloth Mask in Public
The CDC now recommends “cloth face coverings” to slow the spread of COVID-19. As we’ve discussed before, there are pros and cons to cloth masks, and some organizations are still on the fence about whether it’s worthwhile to convince everyone to wear them. The WHO, for example, has yet to provide an official opinion on […]
Trump Says ‘Nobody’ Knew Pandemic Was Coming. His Adviser Warned Of It In January
President Donald Trump said repeatedly in March that “nobody” could’ve predicted a crisis at the scale of the coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc across the globe. “Nobody knew there’d be a pandemic or an epidemic of this proportion,” Trump said March 19. A week later, he reiterated that “nobody would have ever thought a thing like this […]
Acting Navy secretary apologizes for scathing rebuke of ousted captain
Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly apologized Monday night for calling the now-ousted commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt “stupid” in an address to the ship’s crew Monday morning. Modly told the crew that their former commander, Capt. Brett Crozier, was either “too naive or too stupid” to be in command or that he […]
Democrats warn people will die as courts rule Wisconsin’s election on for today
Wisconsin’s controversial election is back on for Tuesday, and voters will get no extension on the deadline to return absentee ballots despite the coronavirus crisis, thanks to two top courts that sided with Republicans on Monday. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, issued an executive order Monday afternoon postponing the election to June 9, citing […]
Here’s When You’ll Get Your Coronavirus Relief Check
We now know when you can expect your coronavirus relief payment to arrive. Direct deposit will start on April 9, a week sooner than Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin previously anticipated. If you don’t have direct deposit on file, there will be an online portal where you can add your information. The IRS hasn’t set that […]
Musician Christopher Cross calls coronavirus ‘possibly the worst illness I’ve ever had’
Singer-songwriter Christopher Cross revealed on social media that he tested positive for coronavirus. Cross, known for his Grammy Award winning hits “Sailing” and “Arthur’s Theme,” said that he felt it was important to make people aware of how dangerous the virus is. “I’m not in the habit of discussing medical issues on social media,” Cross […]
Boris Johnson Hospitalized as Queen Urges British Resolve in Face of Epidemic
Prime Minister Boris Johnson was hospitalized on Sunday evening after 10 days of battling the coronavirus, unnerving a country that had gathered to watch Queen Elizabeth II rally fellow Britons to confront the pandemic and reassure them that when the crisis finally ebbed, “we will meet again.” The British government said that Mr. Johnson would […]
Surgeon general says coming week will ‘be our Pearl Harbor moment, our 9/11 moment’
U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams on Sunday said the coming week could be a national catastrophe comparable to Pearl Harbor or 9/11, echoing President Trump’s dire prognostication. There are more than 300,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 9,000 deaths in the United States. Experts say Americans are almost certainly dying of covid-19 but being left […]
Wisconsin Republicans Block Governor’s Last Minute Plea to Change Tuesday Election
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) made a last minute push to stop in-person voting scheduled for Tuesday, as the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise in the state, but Republicans aren’t interested. Evers called a special session of Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled legislature on Saturday in an attempt to change the state’s Election Day into an […]
Americans are warned ‘there will be a lot of death’ as U.S. coronavirus cases top 300,000
President Donald Trump has warned “there will be a lot of death” as the U.S. faces its “toughest week” yet in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking at at his daily White House coronavirus press briefing on Saturday, Trump said: “This will be probably the toughest week, between this week and the next week. […]
Eric Boehlert: “Tone” deaf — how Trump coverage keeps marring pandemic reporting
If President Barack Obama had overseen the deaths of 100,000 Americans during the Ebola outbreak in 2014, do you think many Beltway journalists would have given him high marks for his “tone”? Me neither. Yet that’s what unfolded this week in the wake of White House briefing where Trump warned of 100,000-plus coronavirus deaths in […]
The Rude Pundit: Fu** Jared Kushner
There’s a certain kind of Ivy League college graduate who is just a total wad of fuck. Usually, they come from inherited wealth, are legacy admissions, and barely had to do any work the entire time they were in school because they have never had to any kind of work. I’ve had my run-ins with […]
CDC recommends people wear cloth masks in public – but Trump says he won’t
President Donald Trump on Friday said new guidance from the Centers for Disease and Prevention urges Americans to wear cloth face coverings in public to prevent the spread of the virus. “The CDC is advising the use of nonmedical cloth face covering as a voluntary health measure,” Trump said during his Friday briefing. “It is […]
Trump Fires Intelligence Community Inspector General Who Told Congress About Whistleblower Complaint
President Donald Trump has fired Michael Atkinson, the Intelligence Community Inspector General, who brought forward the whistleblower complaint to Congress in light of President Donald Trump’s conversation with Ukraine’s president – which later led to the impeachment proceedings. The news comes late Friday night, in a letter obtained by CNN, which states Atkinson is set […]
Dr. Fauci: ‘I Just Don’t Understand’ Why Everyone in America Isn’t Under a Stay at Home Order
Dr. Anthony Fauci, a leading voice on the White House coronavirus task force, believes that everyone in the U.S. should be subject to a stay at home order. Appearing on a CNN virtual town hall Thursday night, Fauci — responding to a question from Anderson Cooper — said that everyone in America should be under […]
US cuts 701K jobs in March amid coronavirus pandemic, unemployment rate jumps to 4.4%
U.S. employers cut 701,000 jobs in March and the unemployment rate rose to 4.4% from 3.5%, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The new report released Friday is the first to show the initial impacts of the novel coronavirus pandemic on the U.S. labor market. The COVID-19 outbreak has brought […]
Pelosi forming House committee to investigate the coronavirus outbreak
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced Thursday that a bipartisan House committee will investigate the federal response to coronavirus pandemic and ensure that congressional funding is spent wisely. “The committee will be empowered to examine all aspects of the federal response to the coronavirus, and to assure that the taxpayer dollars are being wisely and […]
Many Americans may have to wait months for coronavirus relief checks
The first Americans to get relief payments from the government under the coronavirus legislation signed into law last month won’t see the money until at least the week of April 13, according to new estimates from the Trump administration provided to House Democrats and outlined in a memo circulated this week by Democrats on the […]
Confirmed coronavirus cases hit 1 million worldwide
The number of coronavirus infections worldwide has hit 1 million, with more than 50,000 deaths, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. The figures were another bleak milestone in the epidemic that has forced the lockdown of entire countries and brought economies to a shuddering halt. Still, the true numbers of deaths and […]
U.S. coronavirus updates: Death toll tops 5,000
The novel coronavirus has now killed more than 5,100 people in the United States, as more state governors issued stay-at-home orders Wednesday to curb the spread. Over 216,000 people are now infected and more than 8,500 others have recovered. The state of play: Trump administration officials are anonymously sounding the alarm that America’s emergency stockpile […]
A record-shattering 6.6 million Americans filed for unemployment last week
A record 6.6 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, the latest brutal reminder of the toll the coronavirus pandemic is taking on the U.S. economy. Analysts had predicted a jobless claims total of anywhere between 3 million and 6 million, after huge numbers of businesses across the country were forced to close down […]
Coronavirus scythes across U.S. as cases top 200,000
The United States hit a grim milestone Wednesday as confirmed coronavirus cases topped 200,000, adding intense pressure to overstretched hospitals still struggling to find necessary medical supplies and drawing new warnings that the worst is yet to come. With more than 4,500 Americans already dead, Vice President Mike Pence, who heads the White House coronavirus […]
What We Know About the Coronavirus So Far
COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, was first discovered in China in late 2019. The first U.S. case was detected in January 2020, in a recent traveler who arrived in Washington State. Since its early beginnings, the story of COVID-19 has been rapidly evolving, with new information coming out daily. On March 11th, […]
How to Kill Germs All Over Your House
Wipes. Disinfectant. Sanitizer. Bleach. Sprays. What cleaner are you supposed to use where? And which one is most effective in our fight against viruses? Does “99.9.% of germs” include the coronavirus? Wow you have a lot of questions, dear reader, and in the video above we answer as many as we can. Yes, as long […]
Republican Florida governor FINALLY issues stay-at-home order after weeks of resistance
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday issued a stay-at-home order for the entire state as it grapples with a rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak. The order goes into effect Thursday at midnight and will last for at least 30 days, DeSantis said at a briefing on Wednesday. DeSantis said at Wednesday’s briefing that the order would […]
Trump admin will not reopen Obamacare exchanges during coronavirus pandemic
The White House will not reopen the Obamacare exchanges to allow uninsured Americans to purchase health care coverage during the coronavirus pandemic, NBC News has confirmed. Last month, President Donald Trump signaled that he was considering a special enrollment period that would reopen federal insurance exchanges, which shuttered in December after the end of the […]
Joe Biden: ‘Hard To Envision’ How DNC Goes Ahead As Planned Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
Former Vice President Joe Biden said Tuesday he didn’t see how the Democratic Party could hold its national convention as scheduled in July as cases of COVID-19 continue to spike around the country. “It’s hard to envision that,” Biden, the leading Democratic candidate hoping to unseat President Donald Trump in November, told MSNBC’s Brian Williams. […]
Governors Fight Back Against Coronavirus Chaos: ‘It’s Like Being on eBay With 50 Other States’
A chorus of governors from across the political spectrum is publicly challenging the Trump administration’s assertion that the United States is well-stocked and well-prepared to test people for the coronavirus and care for the sickest patients. In New York State — the center of the nation’s outbreak, with at least 1,550 deaths — Gov. Andrew […]
Trump projects up to 240,000 coronavirus deaths in U.S., even with mitigation efforts
President Trump and the physicians advising the federal pandemic response on Tuesday delivered a bleak outlook for the novel coronavirus’s spread across the country, predicting a best-case scenario of 100,000 to 240,000 fatalities in the United States and summoning all Americans to make additional sacrifices to slow the spread. Trump adopted a newly somber and […]
Bob Cesca: Donald Trump’s murder math… Any death toll under 2 million is a “very good job”
The only thing more stunningly dumb than the willingness of Donald Trump’s disciples to die for the sake of their cult leader’s approval poll numbers is the fact that Trump, this past weekend, established a new and terrifying benchmark for “success” in fighting the COVID-19 outbreak. During a presidency that’s beyond satire, no one really […]
Dr. Fauci: Intensive Coronavirus Mitigation is Showing ‘Glimmers’ of a ‘Dampening Effect’
Dr. Anthony Fauci said there are signs that social distancing and other coronavirus mitigation strategies may be helping. The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases gave an interview to CNN’s Jim Sciutto on Tuesday, in which he said “we’re starting to see glimmers that [intensive mitigation] is actually having some dampening […]
Wall Street just had one of its worst quarters in history
Wall Street just ended one of the worst quarters in stock market history, with all three major averages reflecting the devastating economic impact of the pandemic that has ground global activity almost to a halt. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down by just over 400 points by the closing bell on Tuesday, a quarterly […]
McConnell: Impeachment ‘diverted’ attention from coronavirus concerns
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Tuesday suggested that the January Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump distracted from crucial early efforts to respond to the emerging coronavirus pandemic. During an appearance on conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt’s radio show, McConnell was asked about a POLITICO articlepublished Monday that pointed to Sen. Tom Cotton, […]
Here’s how to get a small business loan under the $349 billion coronavirus aid bill
A network of community banks and financial institutions is gearing up to implement one of the most ambitious economic relief programs in U.S. history as small businesses across the country weather the coronavirus and its economic fallout. The $2 trillion coronavirus relief package signed last week, officially known as the CARES Act, includes nearly $350 […]
Model cited by White House says 82,000 people could die from coronavirus by August, even with social distancing
President Donald Trump’s decision to extend social distancing guidelines until April 30 came after officials reviewed 12 different statistical models, said Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, during a Sunday press briefing. But standing in the Rose Garden, Birx also mentioned another model, created independently, that “ended up at the same numbers.” […]
House Democrats eye ambitious fourth coronavirus bill
House Democratic leaders laid out their priorities for an ambitious fourth coronavirus response package on Monday, saying they hope to pass bipartisan legislation with more direct payments for individuals, money for state and local governments, and funding for infrastructure. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said members will be working together to craft the legislation as they […]
U.S. coronavirus death toll passes 3,000 as Spain and Italy honor their dead
With more than 3,000 killed by the coronavirus in the U.S., according to numbers released Tuesday, the U.S. death toll is approaching China’s where the pandemic broke out. Spain, meanwhile, saw a massive surge of 9,222 new confirmed cases and 849 deaths in a single day, its Health Ministry announced, bringing total cases to 94,417 […]
Charlie Pierce: AOC Isn’t ‘Breaking’ With Bernie, She’s Evolving Beyond Him—as Progressive Politics Must
In the realm of ordinary politics in extraordinary times, this Politico story about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is causing no little buzz in and around the Intertoobz. Ever since she backed Nancy Pelosi for the speakership in the newly elected Democratic-majority House of Representatives, I’ve been telling people that she has natural political chops that it’s dangerous […]
All Your Coronavirus Relief Check Questions, Answered
When the Senate passed a gigantic coronavirus economic relief bill that includes checks of up to $1,200 for many Americans, a lot of people reacted like it was a done deal. But even though the House of Representatives approved it today, the bill isn’t a law yet, and it might be a while until you […]
Fauci: Coronavirus could kill over 100,000 Americans
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday that he anticipates the coronavirus could kill 100,000 to 200,000 Americans while infecting “millions” of others. Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said, however, that he does not want to be held to that prediction because the outbreak […]
Trump extends social distancing guidelines to April 30, predicts ‘great things’ by June 1
President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he’s extending his administration’s guidelines on social distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak until April 30. Trump said last week that he wanted to see much of the country return to normal by Easter, April 12, despite warnings from top health experts that easing the guidelines too soon could cause […]
Eric Boehlert: Tucker Carlson is not your friend — Fox News host joins chorus of pandemic charlatans
Rule No. 1: Never give Fox News credit for doing the right thing. Ever. Because the praise will be short-lived and soon retracted, since Fox News and its hosts are not capable of honest change, and they’re not capable of doing good. Even during a pandemic. And that includes Tucker Carlson, who recently received praise for […]
The Rude Pundit: Trump Doesn’t Care About What You Have to Lose
It would have been so easy, so unbelievably easy, for Donald Trump to have been the hero when it came to coronavirus. He had his chance, his bullhorn on the wreckage, his “tear down this wall.” And it would have been with absolutely minimal effort. With a wave of his hand, the signing of a […]
Pelosi Blasts Trump’s Coronavirus Response: ‘His Denial at the Beginning Was Deadly’
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, appearing on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday morning, said that President Donald Trump’s “denial at the beginning” with respect to coronavirus was “deadly.” Pelosi told Jake Tapper, “The president, his denial at the beginning, was deadly. His delaying of getting equipment to where it continued — his continued delay in getting […]
Sad Milestone: U.S. Passes 2,000 Coronavirus Deaths — Death Toll Doubled in Two Days
The death toll in the United States from COVID-19 has passed 2,000, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer reported Saturday evening. “We’ve just reached a tragic new threshold here in the United States,” said Blitzer, announcing that more than 2,000 people in the United States had died from the coronavirus. “That means the death toll has doubled in […]
5 takeaways from Joe Biden’s town hall on the coronavirus response
Joe Biden during a CNN town hall Friday night detailed how he’d respond to the coronavirus pandemic. From a remote feed in his home in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden said he starts his mornings with back-to-back briefings on the health and economic fallout of the pandemic — and that he is regularly speaking with governors who […]
Coronavirus cripples voter registration efforts… Millions could be denied
Presidential elections are typically prime time for bringing new people into the political process, but the coronavirus pandemic is making voter registration more difficult than ever, prompting concerns that many young Americans and other nonvoters might miss their chance to get onto the rolls before November. “This is the moment when we historically see people […]
C.D.C. issues a travel advisory for the New York region, after Trump backs off his quarantine threat
President Trump said on Saturday night that he would not impose a quarantine on New York, New Jersey and Connecticut but would instead issue a “strong” travel advisory to be implemented by the governors of the three states. Mr. Trump made the announcement on Twitter just hours after telling reporters that he was considering a […]
Under Intense Criticism, Trump Says Government Will Buy More Ventilators
Faced with a torrent of criticism from cities and states that have been pleading for help to deal with the most critically ill coronavirus victims, President Trump announced on Friday that the federal government would buy thousands of ventilators from a variety of makers, though it appeared doubtful they could be produced in time to […]
Trump chips away at Congress’ role in coronavirus relief oversight
President Donald Trump intends to ignore provisions in the newly passed $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill intended to shore up Congress’ oversight of the massive rescue program. The legislation establishes a “special inspector general” to review and investigate loan decisions made by the treasury secretary as part of the coronavirus relief effort, an accountability measure […]
Website allows people to report coronavirus symptoms, track spread
As health experts and public officials have warned that confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus are likely nowhere near the actual number of people infected, medical professionals in Boston have created a website to help close the gap. “COVID Near You” allows the public to report coronavirus-related symptoms. The site asks users how they are […]
Trump Again Bashes Governors Of Washington And Michigan Over Coronavirus
President Donald Trump again bashed the Democratic governors of Washington and Michigan on Friday, saying they “should be appreciative” of the federal government and that he’s told Vice President Mike Pence — who heads the White House’s response to the coronavirus pandemic — not to call them. “I think we’ve done a great job for […]
FDA authorizes 15-minute coronavirus test
Federal health officials on Friday approved a coronavirus test that can provide results in less than 15 minutes, using the same technology that powers some rapid flu tests. Teased by Vice President Mike Pence in a Thursday press briefing, the new diagnostic test could accelerate testing in the United States, allowing for rapid results in […]
All Federal Student Loan Payments Will Be Suspended Through Sept. 30 Due To The Coronavirus
Americans will get a six-month reprieve from federal student loan payments as the coronavirus pandemic leads to job losses and economic turmoil nationwide. As part of the coronavirus relief bill passed through Congress and signed by President Donald Trump on Friday, lenders must stop all payments for federal student loans through Sept. 30. During that […]
Trump signs $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill
President Donald Trump on Friday signed the $2 trillion coronavirus economic stimulus bill, putting in motion desperately needed financial relief for millions of Americans set back by the pandemic. Trump signed the bill just hours after the House passed it in a bipartisan vote. “I want to thank Democrats and Republicans for coming together […]
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson tests positive for coronavirus
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tested positive for coronavirus, he said in a tweet Friday. He had developed “mild symptoms” in the last 24 hours and was “self-isolating,” he said. “I will continue to lead the government’s response via video-conference as we fight this virus.” Read the rest of the story at NBC News.
How and when do I get my stimulus check?
President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin have targeted April 6. Tax experts (and lawmakers working on this) are very skeptical of that date. There’s no question they want — and need to turn this around — ASAP. There are also different ways it could be done — through direct deposit (which would be […]
House members race back to Washington amid fears the $2 trillion coronavirus bill could be delayed
Democratic and Republican leaders were scrambling members of Congress back to Washington late Thursday because they suddenly believe the $2 trillion economic relief package might not pass by the voice vote planned for Friday and could be delayed if at least 216 members don’t show up to vote on the floor. Members are now racing […]
‘I don’t believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators’: Trump questions New York’s plea for critical equipment
President Trump cast doubt Thursday on New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s assertion that his state, which has become the epicenter for the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, will need 30,000 ventilators to properly care for the influx of patients anticipated to flood hospitals in coming weeks. “I have a feeling that a lot […]
The coronavirus isn’t mutating quickly, suggesting a vaccine would offer lasting protection
The coronavirus is not mutating significantly as it circulates through the human population, according to scientists who are closely studying the novel pathogen’s genetic code. That relative stability suggests the virus is less likely to become more or less dangerous as it spreads, and represents encouraging news for researchers hoping to create a long-lasting vaccine. All viruses evolve […]
After A Series Of Leadership Missteps, The U.S. Now Leads the World in Confirmed Coronavirus Cases
Scientists warned that the United States someday would become the country hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic. That moment arrived on Thursday. In the United States, at least 81,321 people are known to have been infected with the coronavirus, including more than 1,000 deaths — more cases than China, Italy or any other country has seen, […]
Jobless claims soar past 3 million to record as coronavirus sends Americans to the unemployment line
Americans displaced by the coronavirus crisis filed unemployment claims in record numbers, with the Labor Department reporting Thursday a surge to 3.28 million. The number shatters the Great Recession peak of 665,000 in March 2009 and the all-time mark of 695,000 in October 1982. The previous week, which reflected the period before the worst of […]
Nearly 100 People Died in NYC From COVID-19 in 24 Hours
Eighty-eight people have died of the new coronavirus in New York City in the past 24 hours, according to the NYC Department of Health. The number of total deaths due to the virus is now 280. Forty-nine percent of deaths occurred in adults over 75, and 96 percent of those who died had “underlying illnesses.” This […]
Pelosi Defends Jobless Aid In Stimulus, Tells GOP Not To ‘Resent Our Lowest-Paid’
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) defended a proposed $600 weekly increase in unemployment payments to laid-off workers affected by the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday, rejecting assertions by some Republican senators that people would rather collect government assistance than keep their jobs. “Please don’t resent our lowest-paid workers in America for getting $600 so that they […]
Who would get what and when from the $2 trillion stimulus package
The White House and Senate negotiators struck a deal early Wednesday morning on a massive $2 trillion package that will provide essential relief to an economy struggling amid the coronavirus crisis. The $2 trillion relief package is the biggest in American history. The Senate approved the bill late Wednesday. The House needs to pass the bill before it […]
Deaths in United States linked to COVID-19 surpass 1,000
The United States has reached a grim milestone as the number of deaths linked to coronavirus passed 1,000 in the country on Thursday, according to a count by NBC News. The number of reported deaths associated with the disease in the U.S. was at least 1,001 as of Thursday morning, according to that count, and […]
Senate unanimously passes massive $2 trillion coronavirus spending bill
The Senate overwhelmingly passed a massive stimulus package late Wednesday meant to soften the economic blow of the coronavirus pandemic for American workers and businesses. The bill includes billions of dollars in credit for struggling industries, a significant boost to unemployment insurance and direct cash payments to Americans. The fate of the bill now rests […]
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti warns that LA will be on lockdown for another two months — and to ‘be prepared for longer’
Los Angeles residents will be confined to their homes until May, at the earliest, Mayor Eric Garcetti told Insider on Wednesday. “I think this is at least two months,” he said, “and be prepared for longer.” In an interview with Insider, Garcetti pushed back against “premature optimism” in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying […]
What to do if you think you have coronavirus symptoms
As more people across the United States test positive for the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, it’s important to know what to do if you think you have the virus. If you develop mild flu-like symptoms, call your doctor or your local health department and mention why you think you may have COVID-19, said Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News’ […]
Handful of GOP senators threaten to delay Senate coronavirus bill over unemployment payments
A handful of Republican senators on Wednesday threatened to delay the $2 trillion coronavirus spending bill over a proposed increase to unemployment insurance. In a statement, Sens. Tim Scott, R-S.C., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Ben Sasse, R-Neb., said that the bill could provide a “strong incentive for employees to be laid off instead of going to work” because […]
Here are the stay-at-home orders state by state across the U.S.
As the coronavirus continues to tear its way through the U.S, millions of Americans face stay-at-home orders. But whether you have to stay in or can go outside — and for how long — depends largely on which state you live in. In hardest-hit New York, for example, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has ordered residents to stay at home and all […]
Reed Galen: Considering business or death, Trump chooses inhumanity
The COVID-19 crisis has had massive effects on our country: A massive economic shock precipitated by a rampaging pandemic has now pushed some of our political leaders — starting with President Donald Trump, into unthinkable places — even for him. Despite intelligence community warnings as early as January that the coronavirus was exploding in the Wuhan province of China, […]
Lack of Federal leadership causes scramble for medical equipment as U.S. states and hospitals compete for rare supplies
A mad scramble for masks, gowns and ventilators is pitting states against each other and driving up prices. Some hard-hit parts of the country are receiving fresh supplies of N95 masks, but others are still out of stock. Hospitals are requesting donations of masks and gloves from construction companies, nail salons and tattoo parlors, and considering […]
Coronavirus: Prince Charles tests positive for COVID-19
Prince Charles has tested positive for coronavirus. His spokesman confirmed that the 71-year-old royal had been diagnosed with the COVID-19 disease in a statement released this morning. The heir to the throne is said to have displayed “mild symptoms” but “otherwise remains in good health”, and has been self-isolating in Scotland with the Duchess of Cornwall – […]
Obama Logs On To Twitter and Facebook To Share Vital Health and Safety Information
Former President Barack Obama is making use of his large social media platforms to address the coronavirus crisis and posting like never before since leaving the presidency. Obama, who has remained mum on many of the biggest issues to arise during President Donald Trump’s time in office, is now routinely posting messages to Twitter — […]
Sanders camp signals his presidential campaign will go on
Lacking a meaningful path to the Democratic nomination at a moment when the coronavirus crisis is gripping Washington and the country, Bernie Sanders stepped back from actively campaigning for president over the past week, leading some Democrats to wonder whether he would soon leave the race altogether. But Tuesday, Sanders appeared to signal anew that […]
White House public health expert says anyone who recently left New York should self-quarantine
The White House’s coronavirus response coordinator said Tuesday that anyone who has recently left New York should self-quarantine for 14 days in an effort to slow the spread of the virus in the US. “To everyone who has left New York over the last few days, because of the rate of the number of cases, you may have […]
Look Up Your State’s COVID-19 Test Results With This Tracker
We undoubtedly have far more cases of COVID-19 in the US than testing has revealed, but testing is still an important way to begin getting a handle on how far this outbreak has spread. An online tool called the Covid Tracking Project has collected each state’s testing data if you’d like to keep tabs on how that’s going. The […]
White House, Senate reach deal on massive $2 trillion coronavirus spending bill
The White House and Senate leaders reached an agreement early Wednesday on a massive $2 trillion coronavirus spending bill aimed at alleviating the economic impact of the outbreak. “At last, we have a deal. After days of intense discussions, the Senate has reached a bipartisan agreement on a historic relief package for this pandemic,” Senate Majority Leader […]
Bob Cesca: Trump’s “wartime president” shtick is ghastly — and it could totally work
Like every other petty con man, from back-alley hustlers to Wall Street fraudsters, Donald Trump is a thief and he’ll always be a thief. Now the president is clearly stealing from the George W. Bush playbook in one particularly awful way. Specifically, Trump appears to be desperately envious of Bush’s approval polls after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, […]
Multiple Tony-winning playwright Terrence McNally dies at 81 due to complications from coronavirus
Terrence McNally, one of America’s great playwrights whose prolific career included winning Tony Awards for the plays “Love! Valour! Compassion!” and “Master Class” and the musicals “Ragtime” and “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” has died of complications from the coronavirus. He was 81. McNally died Tuesday at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Sarasota, Florida, according to […]
Trump says he wants country ‘opened up’ by Easter, despite caution from health experts
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he wants to have the country getting back to business by April 12, Easter Sunday, even as the coronavirus pandemic worsens. “I would love to have the country opened up and raring to go by Easter,” Trump said during a Fox News interview. Public health experts and local and state leaders have […]
Tokyo 2020 Olympics postponed over coronavirus concerns
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics have been postponed, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Tuesday. Abe said Japan and the International Olympic Committee came to an agreement during a phone call with the head of the IOC, Thomas Bach, following growing calls for the games to be delayed or canceled because of the concerns around coronavirus […]
Charlie Pierce: No Thinking Person Would Vote to Give Steven Mnuchin a Blank Check
As the ‘rasslin’ match in the Senate goes on, return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear—namely, 2017—when we all could hang out together and would socially distance ourselves only for petty personal reasons, and Steve Mnuchin was still merely the nominee for Secretary of the Treasury. It was clear throughout his confirmation […]
Mnuchin, Schumer say coronavirus rescue package deal very close
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that they are “very close” to an agreement on a nearly $2 trillion coronavirus economic rescue package, raising the possibility of a Senate vote on the legislation as early as Tuesday. Following a series of late-night meetings in Schumer’s office in the Capitol — […]
Critical inhaler medication shortage looms as coronavirus cases soar
When Brett Cavin went to a pharmacy last week in Gresham, Oregon, to pick up his inhaler prescription for his asthma, he was turned away and warned it could take up to a week for the pharmacy to replenish its supply. Cavin is not alone, according to doctors and pharmacists who spoke to ABC News. As emergency rooms […]
