Today’s Disaster News

Update: The Constitution versus Bill Barr

This just happened. See Barr Threatens Legal Action Against Governors Over Lockdowns

The Justice Department will consider taking legal action against governors who continue to impose stringent rules for dealing with the coronavirus that infringe on constitutional rights even after the crisis subsides in their states, Attorney General William Barr said.

I want Barr to be prosecuted for something as soon as we can get our hands on him.

The Senate just reached a tentative deal on another relief package, says the New York Daily News:

Senate Democrats, Republicans and the Trump administration have reached a tentative deal on $470 billion in coronavirus relief to expand testing and provide lifelines for cash-strapped small businesses and hospitals, a source involved in the negotiations told the Daily News on Tuesday.

The bill, which is $220 billion larger than the initial proposal put forth by Republicans last week, could be approved by the Senate as early as 4 p.m. Tuesday, when the chamber convenes for a pro forma session.

This could all fall through, of course. It ain’t a done deal. I do hope they don’t spin their wheels over it too much longer, though. People need help now.

Is this what’s happening to the PPE and ventilators being confiscated by the feds?

Newsweek reports:

The United States has fast-tracked assistance to North Korea in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The move comes despite the countries’ leaders stalled denuclearization-for-peace talks and amid strict international sanctions. A State Department spokesperson told Newsweek that the U.S. had greenlit the delivery of certain goods to the largely closed-off country in an effort to ensure the country had access to critical supplies. 

BTW, there are reports that Jim Jong Un is seriously ill, and also reports that he isn’t. So take your pick.

Someday somebody’s going to take Dan Patrick at his word.

The lieutenant governor of Texas, who was criticized last month for saying it was worth risking lives to return to work if that meant saving the economy, has doubled down on his comments.

Dan Patrick, who turned 70 this month, faced a social media backlash in March for telling Fox News that many of his generation were willing to “take a chance” and return to work because an economy that was shut down by the coronavirus would harm future generations.

As parts of Texas started to reopen this week following weeks of restrictions, Patrick defended his comments on Monday, telling anchor Tucker Carlson again that the recent economic hardship had left him “vindicated.” …

… Patrick went on: “There are more important things than living, and that’s saving this country for my children and my grandchildren and saving this country for all of us.”

I wouldn’t throw a victory party just yet, champ. The science guys are telling us that the pandemic is just getting started.

So much for hydroxychloroquine

The Associated Press:

A malaria drug widely touted by President Donald Trump for treating the new coronavirus showed no benefit in a large analysis of its use in U.S. veterans hospitals. There were more deaths among those given hydroxychloroquine versus standard care, researchers reported.

 

Another Trump misfire

Late last night Trump tweeted that he was going to order a temporary ban on all immigration. But now we’re hearing that farm workers are exempt. Somebody might have explained to the Stable Genius that food shortages won’t help him get re-elected. But is there any other immigration going on right now? I can’t imagine anyone in a nice, sane country with sensible leadership would want to be here. See also Greg Sargent, Trump’s new immigration ban is a scam. Don’t pretend otherwise.

The Virus May Be Killing You Right Now Even If You Feel Fine

Not to be alarmist or anything, but medical science is still struggling to understand how the covid-10 virus works. A Dr. Richard Levitan writes in the New York Times about what’s been happening in Bellevue Hospital in New York City. In The Infection That’s Silently Killing Coronavirus Patients, Dr. Levitan explains that the virus is causing what he calls covid pneumonia, and that you can have this pneumonia without knowing it.

During my recent time at Bellevue, though, almost all the E.R. patients had Covid pneumonia. Within the first hour of my first shift I inserted breathing tubes into two patients.

Even patients without respiratory complaints had Covid pneumonia. The patient stabbed in the shoulder, whom we X-rayed because we worried he had a collapsed lung, actually had Covid pneumonia. In patients on whom we did CT scans because they were injured in falls, we coincidentally found Covid pneumonia. Elderly patients who had passed out for unknown reasons and a number of diabetic patients were found to have it.

And here is what really surprised us: These patients did not report any sensation of breathing problems, even though their chest X-rays showed diffuse pneumonia and their oxygen was below normal. How could this be?

The doctor explains that the virus appears to cause a slow hypoxia, meaning that the infected person is slowly being deprived of oxygen without feeling discomfort or showing other symptoms. By the time people are sick enough to get to the hospital, the hypoxia is seriously bad, and the infected person is close to respiratory failure. If it could be caught sooner, Dr. Levitan says, a lot fewer people would need ventilators.

The doctor suggests that everybody should be screened through pulse oximetry. That’s the test they do in the doctor’s office by putting a little clip thing on your finger to test oxygen saturation. Easy peasy. People who have unusually low oxygen saturation should be further checked for coronavirus. That’s the most sensible thing I’ve heard this week. Of course, this is America, so it won’t be done.

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7 thoughts on “Today’s Disaster News

  1. I have been wondering why animals who carry the virus don't get sick.  Doing some research, I found out that it has to do with molecular similarity.  Bats have very effective immune systems and apparently harbor thousands of viruses without becoming sick.  Another reason than vampires to avoid bats.  Actually they aren't very attractive creatures.  I still have lots of questions so will continue to try to find answers.  In the meantime, I am comfortable hunkering down in my apt. with my soulmate, Mr. Spock.  In case you have forgotten, he is my precious dog.

  2. moonbat,

    I have one, and I think it cost a little more than $20 when I bought it about 2 years ago.

    Don't buy a super expensive one.  They're out there!  A simple and cheap one will do the job in spades.

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  3. Bill Barr needs to be disbarred!

    This evil manipulator of the law calls himself a "Christian?"  A "Catholic?"  Well, if he does force Governors to re-open their states against their better instincts, and the information they have, he should also be charged with X number of murders – or voluntary manslaughter, at the very least!

    Btw: the Senate passed the bill, so it's on to the House tomorrow or Thursday!

    Chris Hayes just finished interviewing Dr. Levitan.  If you read his article, or watch the interview, and you aren't shaken to your core, then you ain't human anymore!

    What his information told me, was that without a vaccine, or a magic curative pill/shot/elixir, many if us will be cooped-up for quite a while!  Especially those of us with mitigating conditions!  Maybe not just into 2021, but 2022!  Also, this Fall's resurgence of this tRUMP Plague is likely to be worse than what we've already been through.

    HELLO MAJOR DEPRESSION!  And not just me, but the US and world's economies!  

    OY-YOY-YOY!!!!!

  4. It's all about the election. Trump is the realty show president, disconnected from reality. He's writing the October shows now, which all point to Dear Leader's greatness. Here's the pitch. 1) It wasn't my fault. 2) All the improvement in the economy and jobs numbers prove what Trump will do (empty promise) if he's reelected. Number Two requires some improvement from when we hit bottom OR phony numbers from a fake recovery funded to jack up the economies of some red states.

    Why the hurry? Check the history of the Great Recession (and this will be a DEpression) It Started in March 2008 and we didn't start a turnaround until the NEXT March 2009. It's only six months and a few days to the election.

    • You can count on the phony numbers, Doug. Did you see the video clip where Trump claimed that Ivanka added 15 million jobs to the economy? It was a mind numbing claim because it was a lie of such proportion that it couldn't even possibly be taken as one of his usual exaggerations. What made it worse was the fact that he told it while knowing he was being video taped by the press and he had all his senior advisors, Ivanka included, and department heads sitting next to him.

      Watching that video certainly made it clear that Trump is operating in his own universe, completely detached from reality. And that nobody within his inner circle has the moral courage to even question his delusions and lies. Ivanka didn't even bat an eye.. If that were me, I surely would at least thank Trump for his faith in my abilities, but publicly tone down the lie least anybody think I was complicit in a lie of that magnitude.

       I guess my point being that there is not going to be any parameters to reality from the Trump camp come the run up to the November election. He's got his hardcore base and they aren't going to leave him no matter what transpires. Whether that can carry him over the finish line remains to be seen. My hope and my assessment is that people will have had enough of Trump's shit show come November and they pull the plug on him. And decency, truth, and reality ultimately prevail.

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  5. I ordered a pulse oximeter for $40 a couple days ago. If you want one, order fast. They're getting very very popular.

     

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