That presser was a shitshow. I could not believe the level of stupidity I was viewing. I only watched the final five minutes or so before I had to look away.Everything he said just went from dumb to dumber.

oh, so Pence was hired to stop the unhinged messaging?

well, that is nice. but it won't help the incompetent response.

Trump appointed Pence to shut him up?

This is not good

Japanese woman confirmed as COVID-19 case for 2nd time, weeks after initial recovery

A woman working as a tour-bus guide in Japan tested positive for the coronavirus for a second time, Osaka's prefectural government said on Wednesday (Feb 26), the first person in the country to do so amid growing concerns about the spread of the infection.

The second positive test comes as the number of confirmed cases in Japan rose to 186 by Thursday from around 170 the day before.

Tokyo has urged big gatherings and sports events to be scrapped or curtailed for two weeks to contain the virus while pledging the 2020 Olympic Games will still go ahead in the city.

The 186 cases reported by Japan's health ministry are separate from 704 reported from an outbreak on a cruise liner that was quarantined off Tokyo earlier this month. A total of eight people have died, including four from the ship.

The woman, a resident of Osaka in western Japan, tested positive on Wednesday after developing a sore throat and chest pains, the prefectural government said in a statement, describing her as being in her forties. She first tested positive in late January and was discharged from the hospital after recovering on Feb 1, according to the statement.

The health ministry confirmed the case was the first in Japan where a patient tested positive for coronavirus for a second time after being discharged from hospital, the Nikkei newspaper said.

Though a first in Japan, cases of second positive tests have been reported in China, where the disease originated late last year. The outbreak has spread rapidly and widely, infecting about 80,000 people globally and killing nearly 2,800, the vast majority in mainland China.

"Once you have the infection, it could remain dormant and with minimal symptoms, and then you can get an exacerbation if it finds its way into the lungs," said Philip Tierno Jr, professor of microbiology and pathology at NYU School of Medicine.

He said much remains unknown about the virus. "I'm not certain that this is not bi-phasic, like anthrax," he said, meaning the disease appears to go away before recurring.

Asked to comment on prospects for the Olympic Games going ahead in Tokyo this summer, Prof Tierno said: "The Olympics should be postponed if this continues ... There are many people who don't understand how easy it is to spread this infection from one person to another."

Japan has changed its strategy in combating the contagion, seeking to slow its spread and minimise the number of deaths.

As part of the attempt to contain the outbreak, Tokyo Olympics officials are considering scaling down the torch relay, Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said on Wednesday.

The government is also considering scaling back this year's Mar 11 memorial ceremony for victims of 2011's massive earthquake and tsunami, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Thursday.

Meanwhile a major Japanese bank reported an employee had tested positive for coronavirus. MUFG Bank, part of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc, the country's largest lender by assets, said a member of staff at a branch in central Aichi prefecture, had been confirmed to have the virus on Wednesday.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/as ... d-12474880

excellent work from Salon, as usual.

These just keep coming.

Trump and his Chief of Staff dismiss coronavirus fears as media plot to take him down




As the coronavirus continues to spread around the world it’s becoming disturbingly clear that President Trump is completely unprepared to deal with the growing emergency. He’s given Vice President Mike Pence—a man who oversaw a terrible HIV outbreak during his tenure as Governor of Indiana—the role of coronavirus czar and Pence, in turn, has brought in economic hacks like Larry Kudlow to join his team.

Trump himself was reportedly enraged at a Center for Disease Control official for simply doing her job by warning Americans that they should prepare for the virus to spread throughout the country.

The administration is far more worried about the effects of the virus on the stock market and how this sudden, sharp downturn could hurt the president’s reelection prospects than they are about the health of the country. They are prioritizing politics over the safety of Americans even as the World Health Organization (WHO) upgrades its threat assessment of the coronavirus to “very high.”

Just last night, Trump blasted out tweets whining that he is getting blamed for failing to do more about the outbreak. He blamed China and said that he has stayed on top of the issue by closing borders and ending flights. His claim is strongly refuted by his behavior and the lack of attention he is devoting to the issue. Yesterday, instead of spending all of his time reviewing protocols and working with CDC officials he hosted a slew of right-wing D-list celebrities at the White House. There is simply no proof that he is taking this outbreak seriously enough.

Trump also targeted the “Do Nothing Democrats” and said they wasted time on an “Immigration Hoax” and efforts to make the Republican Party “look bad.” He repeated his claim about the border and flight closings and insisted that we are “way ahead in our battle” with the virus despite the manner in which every new report to emerge indicates the exact opposite. The grim truth is that Trump is botching our response to the virus and rather than course correct to save lives, he’s looking for a scapegoat.



The Hill reports that acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney tried to do more PR damage control today at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). He admitted that schools are likely to shut down and public transportation affected but insisted that the administration is doing a better job than reports would lead one to believe.

In true Trumpian fashion, he attacked the media for allegedly ignoring the virus until now because they were so focused on the impeachment process and ridiculously stated that the media is only covering the virus because they hope it will be what “brings down the president.”


READ NEXT

Ted Cruz challenges AOC on science knowledge and gets owned by his creationism


As the coronavirus continues to spread around the world it’s becoming disturbingly clear that President Trump is completely unprepared to deal with the growing emergency. He’s given Vice President Mike Pence—a man who oversaw a terrible HIV outbreak during his tenure as Governor of Indiana—the role of coronavirus czar and Pence, in turn, has brought in economic hacks like Larry Kudlow to join his team.

Trump himself was reportedly enraged at a Center for Disease Control official for simply doing her job by warning Americans that they should prepare for the virus to spread throughout the country.

The administration is far more worried about the effects of the virus on the stock market and how this sudden, sharp downturn could hurt the president’s reelection prospects than they are about the health of the country. They are prioritizing politics over the safety of Americans even as the World Health Organization (WHO) upgrades its threat assessment of the coronavirus to “very high.”

Just last night, Trump blasted out tweets whining that he is getting blamed for failing to do more about the outbreak. He blamed China and said that he has stayed on top of the issue by closing borders and ending flights. His claim is strongly refuted by his behavior and the lack of attention he is devoting to the issue. Yesterday, instead of spending all of his time reviewing protocols and working with CDC officials he hosted a slew of right-wing D-list celebrities at the White House. There is simply no proof that he is taking this outbreak seriously enough.

Add your name to tell the ABA: Disbar William Barr for abusing the Justice Department to abet Trump’s corruption!

Trump also targeted the “Do Nothing Democrats” and said they wasted time on an “Immigration Hoax” and efforts to make the Republican Party “look bad.” He repeated his claim about the border and flight closings and insisted that we are “way ahead in our battle” with the virus despite the manner in which every new report to emerge indicates the exact opposite. The grim truth is that Trump is botching our response to the virus and rather than course correct to save lives, he’s looking for a scapegoat.


Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
So, the Coronavirus, which started in China and spread to various countries throughout the world, but very slowly in the U.S. because President Trump closed our border, and ended flights, VERY EARLY, is now being blamed, by the Do Nothing Democrats, to be the fault of “Trump”.

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1:05 AM - Feb 28, 2020
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Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
The Do Nothing Democrats were busy wasting time on the Immigration Hoax, & anything else they could do to make the Republican Party look bad, while I was busy calling early BORDER & FLIGHT closings, putting us way ahead in our battle with Coronavirus. Dems called it VERY wrong!

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1:43 AM - Feb 28, 2020
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The Hill reports that acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney tried to do more PR damage control today at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). He admitted that schools are likely to shut down and public transportation affected but insisted that the administration is doing a better job than reports would lead one to believe.

In true Trumpian fashion, he attacked the media for allegedly ignoring the virus until now because they were so focused on the impeachment process and ridiculously stated that the media is only covering the virus because they hope it will be what “brings down the president.”

“Why didn’t you hear about it? The press was covering their hoax of the day because they thought it would bring down the president,” said Mulvaney. He acknowledged that the coronavirus is “real” as if such a thing were ever in doubt, downplayed the risks it poses and likened it to the flue. “We know how to handle this,” he said.




At this point, no American should take a single thing this White House says at face value. This administration is packed with liars who are solely interested in safeguarding their own grip on power. Concerned Americans would be wise to listen to the CDC and tune out the statements coming from Trump and his staff. It very well could save lives.

SOURCE

I have a cousin I'm friends with on Facebook. Damn. She's a huge Trump fan (in Alabama) and just today she posted something "why is everyone mocking Trump about the coronavirus" and then something about it's a democratic hoax since the impeachment didn't work. I don't comment, because......family. But I have to sit on my fingers at the ignorance.

A line on the coronavirus outbreak Trump may come to regret
Trump explicitly said the total number of U.S. coronavirus cases will soon go from 15 to "close to zero." That's dangerously untrue.

Early on during Wednesday's White House briefing on the coronavirus outbreak, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar stressed an important and accurate point. "[W]hat every one of our experts and leaders have been saying for more than a month now remains true: The degree of risk has the potential to change quickly, and we can expect to see more cases in the United States," the cabinet secretary explained.

Shortly thereafter, the CDC's Anne Schuchat added that while the United States currently has "low levels" of confirmed coronavirus cases, "we do expect more cases."

And then it was Donald Trump's turn, at which point Americans heard their president say largely the opposite.


It wasn't exactly George W. Bush's "Mission Accomplished" moment, but Trump's unscripted comments were certainly its rhetorical cousin.

As conditions in Iraq deteriorated in the Bush/Cheney era, the death toll mounted, and the arguments in support of the invasion evaporated, the Republican's two-word banner came to represent premature celebration. As we've discussed, it quickly became a warning to future presidents, tempted by hubris.

"Going to be down to close to zero" is a phrase cut from the same cloth.

Part of the oddity of Trump's line was its obvious counting error: the president doesn't seem to have any idea how many confirmed coronavirus cases there are in his own country. "We have a total of 15," he said. "We took in some from Japan -- you heard about that -- because they're American citizens, and they're in quarantine. And they're getting better too. But we felt we had an obligation to do that. It could have been as many as 42."

There are currently at least 60 cases. (I say "at least" because testing is not yet widespread, and the actual number may be higher.) It's a straightforward tally the president seemed reluctant to acknowledge, though it remains true anyway.

But it was the other part of Trump's claim that remains ...

MORE>

Now the Trump supporting idiots are claiming the Dems started the Coronavirus to bring down Trump.

There are any number of conspiracy theories - Trump's is just the most ridiculous

https://www.google.com/search?q=coronav ... e&ie=UTF-8

From the BBC

From an Australian friends FB page

Trump's post-truth presidency collides with a global health emergency
Matthew Knott

At a press conference at the White House on Saturday (Sunday AEDT), US President Donald Trump paid tribute to the first American to die after contracting the coronavirus.

"Unfortunately one person passed away overnight," Trump announced. "She was a wonderful woman, a medically high-risk patient in her late 50s."

Vice-President Mike Pence, who is leading the Trump administration's response to the virus, also expressed his condolences, saying the woman's family members were in his prayers.



But the first US coronavirus victim wasn't a woman. It was a man from Washington state, as authorities there later confirmed.

If this had been a one-off, it would have been an unfortunate but forgivable mistake. Instead, it was just the latest in a string of false or misleading claims the Trump administration has made about the outbreak.

Even in such a deeply polarised country, Americans could hopefully rely on the federal government to provide accurate information about a global health emergency. Unfortunately, they can't.



All politicians spin, embellish and sometimes tell outright lies. In recent days, for example, Joe Biden has been exposed claiming he was arrested in South Africa during the apartheid era when there is no evidence this ever happened.

But Trump stands out for the way he fibs, fabricates and exaggerates with giddy abandon. According to The Washington Post, Trump has made 16,241 false or misleading claims since coming to office - a rate of 16 a day.

He has repeated some of those mistruths - like exaggerating the trade deficit with China or over-hyping his economic success - almost 300 times. And he's paid remarkably little price for it.

Even Democrats who disdain Trump have become largely inured to the fog of falsehoods, submitting to exhaustion rather than live in a state of perpetual outrage.

But now Trump's post-truth presidency has collided with the coronavirus pandemic - the biggest crisis he has faced since entering the White House. In this environment, the accuracy of the president's statements could potentially have life-or-death consequences.

Trump has urged Americans not to panic about the virus, and that's sound advice given the US has not yet been as badly affected as many countries in Europe and Asia.

But his haphazard attempts to minimise the virus's seriousness have heightened suspicions that he is more concerned about protecting his political interests rather than the public's health and safety.

Trump is depending on a booming economy to help him win a second term, and the virus threatens that - as the massive stock market drops last week showed.

At a rally in February, Trump assured the crowd that it will "work out fine" and that with warmer weather the virus will die - a claim epidemiologists have described as "wishful thinking".

On Tuesday Trump said: "We have very few people with it. The people are getting better. They're all getting better. I think that the whole situation will start working out."

A day later, health authorities confirmed the first case of "community spread" of the virus, a worrying sign that transmission was no longer limited to those who had travelled to the worst-affected countries.

On Thursday Trump said he did not think it was "inevitable" that a major outbreak would occur in the US - contradicting the official advice of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

"It probably will, it possibly will," Trump said blithely. "It could be at a very small level or it could be at a larger level. Whatever happens, we’re totally prepared."

He predicted that "in a couple of days" the number of people affected in the US would be "down to close to zero". Days later, new coronavirus cases are still being announced.

At a rally that night, Trump described the virus as the Democrats' "new hoax", comparing it to the Mueller investigation into Russian election interference and his Senate impeachment trial.

Trump's political opponents have painted him as a uniquely unfit and incompetent president, a portrayal that has been undercut by his administration's economic performance and relatively benign foreign policy outcomes.

Is it really so bad to have a president who fudges the truth if the country is prosperous and at peace, some Americans have asked. The coronavirus may make them think again.

SOURCE

Trump Didn’t Name Outside Person as Coronavirus ‘Czar’ After Wondering If That Person Would Be Loyal to Him, Report Says
by Alberto Luperon

President Donald Trump didn’t name an outside person “czar” for the federal response to the new coronavirus. That’s out of line with how some previous administrations handled such heath issues, but he kept from doing this after concern that bringing in a person from outside the administration could be a seen as a failure, and he wondered if that individual would be loyal to him, according to a Saturday report from The Washington Post. Sources were described as “those familiar with the debate.”

The White House did not ...

More>

IOW, sorry poor people. You're fucked. It's a conspiracy, I tell you! The cons want to kill off all those dirty immigrants, and those who suck on the teat of the feds. (typed with a tinge of sarcasm....)

There was a time when government officials were expected (and mostly were) to be loyal to the PEOPLE of the country, even if that meant bucking higher ups.

Seems they've never heard of herd immunity?

Things are going to be made worse by the lack of any sort of national healthcare - people aren't going to see a doctor until they are too sick to work.

And the lack of any sort of general sick leave policy is going to cause serious problems if (when?) they start closing schools.

1. It will be interesting to see how the anti-vaxxers react to a corona virus vaccine.

2. I wonder if Grabem will continue to hold his rallies. He says he will. Upside - Attendees will put Darwin effect into play.

3. If this virus really gets going, the U.S. with it's patchwork health care system, divisive and gridlocked political system and virtually insane administration will be among the hardest hit countries.

The death toll in the US is now up to 6.

Quote:

I was watching the news at the gym this morning and the death toll only stood at 2.

It spreads exponentially once it starts.