Tag: response

#EndorseThis: Trump ‘Not At All Concerned’ Over Virus Infecting Voters At His Nevada Rally

Donald Trump defended his decision to defy coronavirus mitigation orders in order to hold a packed indoor rally in Henderson, Nevada, on Sunday night, saying that he was far away from the thousands of maskless attendees who were defying social distancing orders.

“I’m on a stage, and it’s very far away,” Trump said in an interview with a reporter from the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “And so I’m not at all concerned.”

Trump expressed no concern in the interview for the thousands of his supporters who defied all social distancing orders to pack into the indoor rally, most of them not wearing masks, putting themselves at risk of contracting the deadly virus, which has to date killed 193,950 people in the United States. Continue reading.

Mnuchin, Pelosi reach informal deal to avoid government shutdown

The Hill logo

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have informally agreed to pursue a clean, short-term stopgap measure to avert a government shutdown at the end of the month, sources in both parties confirmed Thursday.

That means the continuing resolution (CR) needed to keep the government open past Sept. 30 would be free of controversial policy riders that have bogged down previous funding bills, significantly lowering the odds of a shutdown leading up to the crucial Nov. 3 elections.

The tentative deal also means the government funding bill and a new coronavirus relief package being negotiated between Pelosi and Mnuchin would not be part of the same talks. Continue reading.

Trump downplays COVID-19’s mortality rate in US

The Hill logoPresident Trump has repeatedly claimed that the U.S. has one of the lowest COVID-19 mortality rates anywhere in the world, even though the nation has recorded more deaths from the coronavirus than any other country.

The U.S. also has a mortality rate per 100,000 about twice that of Canada. While the U.S. rate is lower than Spain, the United Kingdom and Italy per 100,000 people, it is higher than such nations as Germany, France and the Netherlands.

But Trump is not focused on those numbers. Continue reading.

COVID-19 is a disaster for people with disabilities. Without 30-year-old law, it would be worse

The isolation can be terrifying and tragic. The stress can exacerbate mental illness and other health problems. Add the loss of mobility and independence, the disruption of routines: the beloved caregiver who doesn’t come, the day program that doesn’t open, the concern that lack of support will give families no choice but to institutionalize.

In the hospital, people who can’t speak are left with no one to communicate for them, vulnerable to the fear medical care will be rationed, given to someone deemed more worthy or valuable than themselves.

Though everyone has been suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic, people with disabilities have perhaps been the most disadvantaged, their lives the most disrupted. Continue reading.

Trump’s week of retreat: The president reverses course as the coronavirus surges out of control

Washington Post logoPresident Trump was adamant that Congress cut payroll taxes — until, suddenly, he backed down.

He demanded that all of the nation’s schools reopen for the fall semester — until, suddenly, he allowed for some wiggle room.

He insisted upon filling every seat at the Republican National Convention celebration — until, suddenly, he canceled the event. And he refused to wear a mask in public — until, suddenly, he did, and morphed into a mask evangelist. Continue reading.