Coronavirus is hundreds of times more deadly for people over 60 than people under 40

How deadly is SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19? And what are the risks of death for people of different ages and demographics? These have been hard numbers to calculate during this pandemic.

To calculate the true death rate – more accurately called the infection–fatality ratio (IFR) – you would simply divide the total number of coronavirus deaths by the total number of infections. The problem is that with so many asymptomatic cases and limited testing for much of the pandemic, finding the true number of infections has been very difficult.

The easiest way to calculate more accurate infection and death rates is to perform random testing. Continue reading.

Most Americans want to vote before Election Day, a significant shift from previous years, poll finds

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About six in 10 registered voters nationwide say they want to cast their ballots before Election Day, a significant departure from previous years that will force the candidates to reshape how they campaign in the election season’s final weeks, according to a Washington Post-University of Maryland pollconducted by Ipsos.

Fear of the coronavirus and doubts about the reliability of mail voting after months of attacks from President Trump are weighing heavily on Americans as they decide how to safely ensure their vote will be counted in this fall’s presidential election, according to the survey. In 2016, about 4 in 10 ballots were cast early.

The likely surge in early voting and mail ballots will test election systems nationwide, many of which are ill-prepared to contend with an unprecedented volume of early votes or help voters who are struggling to learn the rules around mail ballots. Continue reading.

Fox Hosts Excuse Trump’s Admitted Lies About Pandemic Threat

For his new book, Bob Woodward taped conversations with President Donald Trump earlier this year. In some of the tapes, Trump admits that he knew the novel coronavirus was deadly even while he was downplaying it in public. Despite the damning revelation, Fox personalities immediately defended Trump.

In newly released audio excerpts from Woodward’s interviews with Trump, the president said on a February 7 recording: “You just breathe the air and that’s how it’s passed. And so that’s a very tricky one. That’s a very delicate one. It’s also more deadly than even your strenuous flu.” In another conversation, Trump admitted that he was downplaying the risk of the virus, saying, “To be honest with you, I wanted to always play it down.”

Even though the revelations show that the president misled the public about a pandemic that is a few days out from having caused the deaths of 200,000 Americans, Fox personalities immediately went to bat for Trump. Continue reading.

The Memo: Woodward revelations deepen Trump troubles

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President Trump’s response to the coronavirus is back in the center of the news agenda — and that spells bad news for a commander-in-chief trailing in his bid to win a second term.

Details emerged Wednesday of a forthcoming book from Bob Woodward that contains a host of damaging revelations. Worst of all, Woodward depicts Trump as privately knowing the seriousness of the coronavirus while downplaying it publicly.

The president’s handling of COVID-19 has drawn broad disapproval from the American public, according to polls.  Continue reading.

‘Cheerleader’ Trump Tries To Talk His Way Past Woodward Revelations

Donald Trump is defending his decision to downplay the coronavirus outbreak, telling reporters his deception occurred because he is a “cheerleader for this country.”

“I love our country and I don’t want people to be frightened, I don’t want to create panic,” Trump said on Wednesday. “We don’t want to instill panic, we don’t want to jump up and down and start shouting that we have a problem that is a tremendous problem, scare everybody.”

Trump was responding to newly released audio recordings of an interview he gave to Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward on Feb. 7, in which he said he already knew by then that the virus was “more deadly” than the flu but that “I wanted to always play it down.” Continue reading.

Jill Biden’s ‘Back-to-School Tour’ stops in Prior Lake

Representatives for both the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates made stops in Minnesota this week, indicating the state will be an important part of both campaigns this fall.

President Donald Trump spoke in Mankato in mid August and his son Donald Trump Jr. visited Duluth Wednesday, where he hosted a Make America Great Again event.

On that same day, former second lady of the United States Dr. Jill Biden visited Prior Lake where she conversed with Governor Tim Walz, Senator Amy Klobuchar, Education Minnesota President Denise Specht and Minnesota educators at Jeffers Pond Elementary as part of her national “Back-to-School Tour.” Continue reading

Donald Trump says Ted Cruz — yes, that Ted Cruz — is on his list of potential second-term Supreme Court picks

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President Donald Trump on Wednesday named U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, as a potential nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Trump included Cruz among 20 possible picks for the high court if Trump wins a second term in November and a seat later becomes open. The 20 new names come in addition to a group of prospective justices that Trump named during the 2016 campaign — and has since drawn from to fill two vacancies on the court.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday named U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, as a potential nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Trump included Cruz among 20 possible picks for the high court if Trump wins a second term in November and a seat later becomes open. The 20 new names come in addition to a group of prospective justices that Trump named during the 2016 campaign — and has since drawn from to fill two vacancies on the court. Continue reading.

2 big problems with Kayleigh McEnany’s Bob Woodward response

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White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany faced a characteristically unenviable job in defending President Trump on Wednesday — this time with regard to his newly published comments to legendary Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward about the coronavirus pandemic.

Woodward’s book reveals that Trump internalized the true nature of the threat early on, even as he continued to downplay it publicly. His comments to Woodward indicate he knew the virus was deadlier than the flu in early February, but he continued to compare it to the flu for weeks afterward. He even conceded in mid-March that he “always” sought to downplay the threat.

But two of McEnany’s arguments, in particular, strained credulity. Continue reading.

Statements from Speaker Hortman and Majority Leader Winkler on Republican Senate removing Commerce Commissioner Steve Kelley

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SAIN PAUL, MINNESOTA — Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler released the following statements on the Republican Senate removing Commerce Commissioner Steve Kelley.

“Governor Walz and his administration are trying to combat a global pandemic and instead of working with him, Senate Republicans are actively making it harder to fight this virus,” said Speaker Hortman. “It’s irresponsible for Republicans to continue to target individuals over a political disagreement with the Governor.”

“Sabotaging government agencies during a pandemic is as dangerous as it is shameless,” said House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler. “The GOP should be using this special session to work on bipartisan COVID relief for Minnesota families and businesses – not to brag about executing hostages and undermining public health. This reckless vote is proof that the Republican majority is unfit to lead the Senate during the greatest crisis of our lifetimes.”

U.S. sanctions Ukrainian lawmaker for election interference targeting Biden

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The U.S. Treasury on Thursday added Ukrainian lawmaker Andrii Derkach to its “Specially Designated Nationals” list for alleged efforts to interfere in the U.S. presidential election, including by promoting “false and unsubstantiated” allegations targeting Joe Biden.

The big picture: Derkach has been “an active Russian agent for over a decade,” maintaining close ties to Russian intelligence services, according to a statement by the Treasury. The designation will freeze Derkach’s assets in the U.S. 

  • The Treasury also designated three Russian nationals — Artem Lifshits, Anton Andreyev and Darya Aslanova — for their work for the Internet Research Agency, which was indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller for its social media disinformation operations. Continue reading.