1. Guess it's time for our weekly Trump roundup. Sigh.
In 2017, thanks to Trumpian turf battles, DHS shut down its modeling & analysis of possible pandemics. Excellent timing. politico.com/news/2020/03/2…
In 2017, thanks to Trumpian turf battles, DHS shut down its modeling & analysis of possible pandemics. Excellent timing. politico.com/news/2020/03/2…
2. In 2016, the NSC produced a detailed list of priorities & actions for the government in the event of a pandemic. (For instance: start a federal effort to procure PPE *early*.) The Trump administration completely ignored it. politico.com/news/2020/03/2…
3. Early in his admin, Trump slashed the size of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention bureau in China. He got rid of a medical epidemiologist *there specifically to monitor virus outbreaks*. reuters.com/article/us-hea…
4. Trump *still* has no plan in place to get vital medical supplies to the people who need them. latimes.com/politics/story…
5. Trump promised two weeks ago that Americans would be able to get coronavirus tests in the parking lots of scores of big-box retailers across the country. In reality there are 5. washingtonpost.com/national/healt…
6. There does seem to be one good way to secure a test, though: get close to Trump. washingtonpost.com/national/healt…
7. Meanwhile, front-line medical workers, unable to get testing or the protective equipment they need, are ... updating their wills & funeral plans. washingtonpost.com/business/2020/…
8. Trump is using coronavirus as an excuse to relax rules on polluters. nytimes.com/2020/03/26/cli…
9. In response to coronavirus, Trump & several GOP governors are considering extending the Affordable Care Act to make it easier to enroll. You will recall that Trump & the GOP are currently part of a lawsuit meant to *overturn the entire ACA*. wsj.com/articles/u-s-c…
10. Medicaid is proving invaluable in addressing the virus's impact on the most vulnerable ... except in states with far-right governors who refused to extend Medicaid. nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u…
11. Throughout the crisis, Trump's ego has dominated his -- and therefore the federal government's -- entire response. Most notably, he refuses to heed the advice of experts & scientists when he feels it might look bad for him. washingtonpost.com/politics/trump…
12. Trump agreed to disease-prevention guidelines only because (in his own words!) refusing would have made him look bad. But when CDC mailed the guidelines to citizens, Trump force them to put his name prominently in the title. huffpost.com/entry/trump-cd…
13. Trump is also insisting that his name appear prominently on the recovery checks being mailed to families. marketwatch.com/story/trump-wa…
14. Trump considers any aid the federal government sends to states to be a personal favor from him to state governors. He told Pence not to call or coordinate with states where governors are insufficiently "appreciative." cnbc.com/2020/03/27/cor…
15. Trump is only capable of viewing this crisis through the lens of how it affects his popularity, which he only knows how to measure in TV terms. Thus, he's bragging about the ratings his briefings are pulling down. vox.com/policy-and-pol…
16. Trump says he won't comply with the transparency & oversight provisions included in the bailout bill, because rule of law means nothing any more & he knows Senate Rs will cover for him no matter what he does. vox.com/policy-and-pol…
17. Rural communities, where Trump's most devoted supporters live, are about to be crushed by the virus he so spectacularly failed to prepare them for. vox.com/2020/3/28/2119…
18. I guess I'll stop there. I'm sure I missed a few, but the news makes my stomach hurt and I need to go do something else. vox.com/2020/3/28/2119…
